


In (un)death we can finally be together

by DarknessConsumesMe



Category: World of Warcraft
Genre: Burning Legion - Freeform, Death, F/M, Jaina becomes a member of the Scouge, Jaina saves Arthas, Jaina works for the Scourge, Scourge, Slow Burn, Transformation, Undead, Violence, World of Warcraft - Freeform, alternative universe, dark story, dying, gloomy start but better ending, melancholic, slow developing romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-01
Updated: 2019-08-27
Packaged: 2019-09-02 22:02:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 48
Words: 301,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16795603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarknessConsumesMe/pseuds/DarknessConsumesMe
Summary: Jaina Proudmoore's attempt to reach her beloved Arthas had failed once again. This time, he won't let her away, he won't let her survive. He will raise her as a member of the Scourge with the promise to take her as his queen if she proves worthy. Will she prove worthy? Or will she resist him and try to save Azeroth from his greedy undead hands?





	1. Rebirth

**Author's Note:**

> First of all, I don't own any of these characters. They belong to Blizzard. 
> 
> I want to inform you that this won't be the casual love story of Arthas and Jaina you would expect. This story will a little melancholic, darker, grim or even sad at some points. This story will probably get better in the end but the start will be unusual gloomy. Don't be shocked at first, hopefully, you will continue to read this story.

_Jaina's POV_

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes before I exhaled. My breath was cold, which was normal considering where I was at the moment. I was standing in the middle of a large staircase in Icecrown Citadel. Why I was there was a legitimate question. Of course, I was there to help the heroes getting rid of a dangerous threat. A dangerous threat for all life on Azeroth and for Azeroth itself. The question, I asked myself, was: Do I hope anything else than to achieve the death of the Lich King? The death of the former love of my life?

That was a legitimate question and there was only one right answer for that. Of course, I do.

Of course, I hope that I could save him. Save Arthas Menethil. That sounded as impossible as bringing forever lasting peace to Azeroth. Trying to save Arthas from the grip of the Lich King sounded almost impossible, it was almost impossible for me because I already tried it and failed. But I won't give up. Not again. Not this time. I have to save him, somehow. I don't know how but there must be a way, right? I can't believe that he is gone forever.

Others would advise me against trying to save him and from trying to talk to him. They would counsel me against getting in the near of the Lich King. They would tell me that the risk would be too high, that Arthas could hurt me and even kill me but I don't believe them. I don't believe that he would do this to me. He may not be the man anymore, he once was but I refuse to believe that he was fully gone. There must be a small part of him, of the good Arthas Menethil, which should still exist in this so-called Lich King. I just have to reach him. This shouldn't be too difficult. I mean, I have already tried it once but... Whatever. This time, I will be successful. I was pretty sure about that.

I took another deep breath before I climbed step after step of the long and icy staircase. Each step felt like a heavy burden, like a difficult task I had to accomplish. My legs were heavy, my breath icy and my body felt cold. It took a lot of strength for me to climb this staircase but finally, after a few minutes of arduous walking, I finally reached the last step of it.

I came to a small room. In the middle of that room was a small teleporter which would bring me to the top of Icecrown Citadel. This teleporter was guarded by three ugly ghouls. These miserable creatures were smaller than me but they were pretty fast and deadly. I knew I shouldn't underestimate them, that's why I waited carefully for them to make the first move.

The ran towards me as soon as they noticed me. I froze the ground beneath them, making sure that they couldn't move from their spot. I lifted my staff in the air and send a frostbolt at the first ghoul, killing it immediately. I annihilated the second one with a small fireball and the third one with an arcane blast. I burned the corpses of these foul creatures, making sure that no necromancer could raise them again.

3 for Jaina 0 for the Scourge.

I looked around, making sure that no one else was around or could follow me. I walked to the teleporter and stopped in front of it. I took a deep breath, conflicting with my inner self if I should really risk this. I decided that the chance of saving Arthas, no matter how low it is, is always worth a risk. I don't think that I could ever be happy without my Arthas. Without my Prince. Without the love of my life.

I had to risk it. He wouldn't kill me and raise me. Wouldn't he? I mean I always mattered to him. If there is still a small part of the good Arthas in the Lich King, then he wouldn't do me any harm. I may sound foolish but I actually believed that.

I tightened the grip around my staff, stepping in the teleporter. I found myself on top of the Citadel at the next moment. My breath stopped when I recognized what was awaiting me.

My Arthas... I meant the Lich King was standing in the middle of the icy platform, surrounded by the twenty-five corpses of the mightiest heroes from Azeroth. I couldn't believe that Arthas managed to defeat them alone. I knew he was powerful but I hadn't expected him to be that powerful. Twenty-five against one sounded like an easy fight but the truth was that it had been an easy fight for Arthas, considering that his massive and heavily dark-grey armour was barely damaged.

I turned my head, a shocked sound escaped my lips when I recognized Highlord Tirion Fordring who was locked in an ice pillar. The Lich King didn't seem to have recognized me. He seemed to be busy with turning these fallen heroes into his new undead elite force. I couldn't tell how long he was casting this spell but I was pretty sure that he needed a few more minutes to complete the resurrection spell. There was my chance. I could approach him and talk to him, trying to reach the good part which still existed in him.

I walked forward, slowly at first but I became faster with each step I made. I almost reached him when I heard the shattering of ice and the loud cry of Tirion. I turned around and noticed that Highlord Fordring, somehow, had managed to get free out of his prison. He rushed towards Arthas with the intention to kill him.

I couldn't allow that. Killing the Lich King would mean to kill my Arthas and ruining my chance to save him. I could not allow that. Arthas may have done a lot of horrible things. He may have been responsible for the death of millions. He may have killed his own father and doomed his own kingdom but it was the Lich King, the orc Ner'zhul who had forced him to do that. The Arthas I knew was still a part of the Lich King and striking him down would mean that I would never get him back.

The Lich King still hadn't recognized the old paladin who was about to attack him. I have to warn him. I MUST warn him or Arthas would be gone forever.

"ARTHAS" I cried. "BEHIND YOU. WATCH OUT!"

Arthas turned around immediately, interrupting the cast of his spell. He recognized Tirion at the last moment but managed to block his attack. I noticed Tirion staring at me with furious eyes. He was giving me a glare which told me 'Why did you do this child? Why did you warn him?'

Tirion and Arthas were clashing their swords together. I shouted to Arthas that he should stop fighting, that there was still hope for him, that I believe in the good in him. He ignored me. He didn't even look at me, instead, he defended himself against Tirion's tries to take him down. Tirion did his best but even with Ashbringer, he wasn't able to keep up with the Lich King.

I had to watch in horror how Arthas overpowered Tirion and rammed Frostmourne through his chest. Tirion spat a large amount of blood out, his gaze rested on me, his eyes searched for mine but I looked away. I felt like I was frozen. I couldn't move, I couldn't do anything to help Tirion. My mouth was opened but no sound came out of it. I could only stand there and stare at the icy floor while Tirion made his last breath before the Lich King drew his cursed sword out of the body of the Highlord and flung his corpse on the ground.

What have I done? Tears ran down my cheeks. How could I have been so foolish to believe that I could reach Arthas good side? I thought what I would have been able to talk to Arthas and convince him that it was never too late to get back to the good side. Now I have to face the horrible consequences, which I didn't want to imagine at this moment.

Arthas watched me, an amused smile on his lips. His icy blue glowing eyes observed me.

"Thank you, Archmage Proudmoore" he shouted with his cold, emotionless and deep voice.

Archmage Proudmoore? How he was calling me already told me how he was seeing me. He wasn't seeing me as his former lover, instead, I was one of these heroes he would raise and make them to loyal servants of the Scourge.

It was not too late for running. Retreating was not a shame at this point. I turned around quickly, running towards the teleporter but Arthas stopped me. Somehow, he managed to prevent me from moving further to the teleporting platform. I turned my head, looking at him. He had lifted me in the air with magic, while he pointed Frostmourne at the fallen heroes.

"I have to thank you Jaina" he said. The way how he pronounced my name increased the worry in me. Cold shivers ran down my spine when his piercing blue eyes stared at me. It felt like his gaze would penetrate me and look through me. It felt very unpleasant, I had to say. My heart was beating rapidly in my chest, my throat was dry, my breaths were quick and uncontrolled.

"Without you, that mortal bastard would have slain me. You did an important favour for the Scourge. You didn't only save my life you also allowed the Scourge to continue to exist and act under my command. I will reward you for this favour with another favour, my dear" he shouted. He looked at me with a wide grin on his lips.

"About what kind of a favour are we talking about?" I stuttered and tried to get free out of his magical grip, without success.

"You will find out soon enough Proudmoore" he answered. I wanted to say something in response. I wanted to try to talk to him once again, trying to reach his good side but somehow, no sounds slipped out of my mouth although I have formed the right sentences in my mind. I heard heavy footsteps behind me. I didn't know who was coming but I was sure that I wouldn't like the presence of this person or these persons.

"Take her and bring her to the room" Arthas commanded and turned around. He shifted his attention back to the fallen heroes and continued to raise them. I didn't know what was awaiting me in THE room but I was at least sure that I wouldn't like it. Tears ran down my cheeks when I tried to convince Arthas one more time but he totally ignored me and didn't even looked at me when these creatures dragged me away.

I woke up later. I didn't know where I was and how much time had passed since one of these creatures had knocked me out. I looked around, my eyes were trying to recognize something but it was so dark that I couldn't even see my hand in front of my eyes. That would also require that I could move my hands in front of my face, which I couldn't because they were bound behind my back to an icy column. I was shivering, feeling very cold.

I recognized that I was totally naked. I wasn't wearing any piece of cloths. My head was hurting, the only sound which was hearable in this room was the sound of my own breaths. I tried to move my arms but the shackles held them in place behind my back. I couldn't do anything except thinking over the decisions I made during the past years.

How could I have been so foolish to think that I could change Arthas? I could have helped him much earlier. Now it was too late to help him. Another tear ran down my cheeks when I realized that it was too late to save Arthas. The Arthas I once knew and loved was gone. Corrupted by the cursed runeblade Frostmourne. Corrupted by the soul of the wicked orc shaman Ner'zhul.

I could have saved Arthas before he would have been corrupted. I could have stopped him and convinced him that purging Stratholme was the wrong way. I also could have gone with him to Northrend and prevent that he picks up Frostmourne, or at least I could have stopped him from killing his father and his own people, not to mention Sylvanas Windrunner and the high elves. I regretting now that I had made the wrong decisions.

I should have stayed with Arthas no matter what would have happened. I shouldn't have left him at the moment where he had needed me the most. Dammit, I even have promised that I would never let him down and never refuse him. I had broken my promise, no wonder why Arthas wouldn't trust me anymore. No wonder why my attempts, to reach him, have turned out to be failures. Now, I was at the mercy of the Lich King, hoping that he wouldn't torture me or worse... What have I done? I have done everything wrong and now I have to live with the consequences of my failure.

"Oh, Arthas... Oh, dad... I'm so sorry. I have failed you both" I whispered, more tears ran down my cheeks. I wish I could wipe them away but the shackles prevented that. I was staring at the floor, full of sorrow. I felt sadness, anger aimed at myself, grieve over the loss of Arthas and many over negative emotions. I stared at the floor for a while, feeling guilty because of my failure.

Suddenly, I heard heavy footsteps. I didn't look up at first because I know that I wouldn't recognize anyone in the dark. I only looked up when my eyes recognized that the room lightened up. I saw the Lich King entering the room. The Lich Kel'thuzad and a few members of the Cult of the Dammed were following him.

"Is she ready?" asked Arthas with his thundering voice.

"Yes, my master. She is ready for her _transformation_ " responded Kel'Thuzad and rubbed his bony hands together.

Transformation? Have I heard it right? What does he mean with transformation? He wouldn't do this to me, would he? He wouldn't turn me into an undead. I was not even sure right now. The Arthas I knew was gone so everything could happen. I stared at the floor, avoiding Arthas piercing gaze and Kel'Thuzad's scornful smile.

The Lich King came closer to me. I knew, without looking at him, that his gaze rested on me and his lips formed a satisfied and sadistic smile. Tears ran down my cheeks when the monster, who once had been my beloved Arthas, stopped in front of me and put his cold gauntlet under my chin, lifting it up so that I was forced to look at the part of his face, which wasn't covered by his massive helmet. I flinched when his hand stroked my cheek. He pulled his hand away and took the gauntlet off, dropping it. A loud dull sound was hearable when it hit the ice-cold floor. His ice-cold hand ran through my blond hair, toying with my locks. I just watched him because I wasn't able to do anything else.

"I have promised you that I will give you a reward for warning me" said Arthas and continued to toy with my hair while he observed my nude form.

"Do you... Do you free me?" I stuttered and stared in his blue eyes, doing my best to hold my gaze.

"Do I free you?" he asked irritated. "Of course, I will free you. Free you from the limiting shackles of mortality. I will offer you immortality, power and the chance to rule over Azeroth with me. You will become my queen if you prove to be worthy enough"

I felt that my throat had become even drier than it already was. I opened my mouth, wanting to protest, wanting to tell him that I don't want to die. That I don't want to become one of his servants. But I couldn't. Again, no words came out of my mouth. The only sounds I produced were sobs and cries.

"Don't cry Jaina. Together, we will rule over this world. You will be my queen. You just need to prove your worth to me. But first, let me free you from this disgustingly weak form" shouted Arthas and lifted Frostmourne, pressing its icy cold blade against my cheek, leaving a small cut in my face. He lowered the blade and pressed the tip against my belly. I couldn't see my face but I was pretty sure that it showed pure fear. My body was shaking, my mouth was dry and my breaths short and uncontrolled. I felt fear. Fear of dying, fear of becoming one of his mindless servants, fear because I would never meet my Arthas again.

He thrust his blade through my abdomen. I spit a large amount of blood out. He put his hand on my forehead and muttered a few words in an, for me, unknown language. The pain I felt, was unbearable at first but it became weaker and weaker like my vision which blurred out slowly until I lost my consciousness.

I woke up later on a soft bed in a sparsely furnished room. I sensed immediately that my head really hurt but no pain came from other regions. I sat up and looked at my upper body. I was naked, my skin was very pale and had a slight tinge of blue. To my great surprise, no wound was visible in my belly, not even the smallest scar. I spotted a mirror with an ice-blue bordering at the end of the room. I stood up and walked to it slowly, regarding my reflection curiously.

My entire body had a slight blue colour. My eyes were glowing blue, not in the same tone as the eyes of the Lich King but in a similar one. Most of my hair was pure white, only a thick strand of hair had another colour. It was a dark purple strand of hair which stood out of my beautiful white mane.

I was shocked by my drastic appearance change. I pressed the palm of one of my hands against my cheek, trying to find out if my body was still warm. To my disappointment, I was icy cold. As cold as Arthas' hand when he had touched me. I didn't find any fitting words to describe how I was feeling right now. I felt so many emotions at the same time. Disgust, anger, hatred, sorrow, grieve even amazement.

Indeed, I felt amazed by this strange look. It required a few minutes of starring to recognize the entire beauty of this body. I may don't look as beautiful as I once had been in life anymore but I have to admit that I still look very beautiful. At least that. It would have been a disaster if my beauty also would have been robbed away from the Lich King.

I was still angry with the Lich King. Angry that he had raised me as one of his pawns. I would like to tear his stupid head from his body if I would get the opportunity for that. I knew that he was too strong for me. I knew that I wouldn't be able to have vengeance for what he had done to me.

It was a wonder what I was able to have these, for a normal servant of the Scourge, forbidden thoughts. Normally, the Lich King would make sure that his servants would follow his rules without hesitation by raising them as mindless servants. But he didn't seem to have risen me as a mindless creature. Either he still cared for me or he does that to give me the chance to prove my loyalty and worth.

Well, I didn't really know his reasons and I didn't want to know or understand his motives. I was just glad that I could act freely. Of course, I have to serve him but I still have my personality, or at least what was left of it.

I regarded my naked body one more time. I frowned when I recognized another change. Did my body grow a little in size? I swear that I was larger than before. At least my boobs seemed to have grown. In life, I would have been happy to notice such a change because all men love big boobs.

Now, I really didn't care about such a meaningless thing. As if I would ever find someone again who could love me. I was undead, still attractive but undead and the man I had loved so much was gone. I don't think that I will ever be capable of feeling love or any other positive feeling, not to mention desire or lust.

I turned around and studied the room one more time. Besides a few pieces of furniture, the bed and the mirror, nothing else was standing in this room. No carpets, no paintings, only a small wardrobe. I walked to the wardrobe and opened it. Only one outfit hung in it.

It was a beautiful blue and white dress which seemed to start from my waistline and should reach to my ankles. There was also a wide blue cape made out of thick fur and a metal breastplate which could cover my chest. I put it on and regarded myself in the mirror. I looked beautiful and mighty in this outfit. Half of my breasts and my belly were exposed, for whatsoever reason. I didn't care at all that these body parts were exposed. I didn't care at all what will happen to me. I had nothing to lose. Arthas was gone. I was undead and my family still hated me because I was jointly responsible for the death of my father. It couldn't get any worse, at least I thought that.

I walked back to the bed and sat on it. I have met a lot of more or less friendly undead creatures, so-called Forsake. They were serving under Sylvanas Windrunner, the Banshee Queen, and fought against the Scourge.

Most of these creatures had decomposed appearances and they really stunk. I have only talked little with a few individuals which weren't stinking that much. They had told me that they didn't need to sleep, eat or drink.

My case wasn't different. I looked dead, I felt dead and my body was dead too. My heart wasn't beating anymore and I probably wouldn't be able to digest any kind of food.

I waited for a few hours, doing nothing except staring at the ceiling. I could have left my room and could have walked around but I found no joy in doing these things. If the Lich King wanted to see me then he should send someone after me.

Someone knocked at my door after a few hours had passed. I didn't hesitate and got up, walking to the door in a casual tempo. I opened the door and regarded the person who was standing in front of this room.

It was a female undead human who was about one head taller than me. She had long hair which colour was similar to mine, except that she had no purple strand of hair. She was wearing a massive armour which was coloured in a red and black colour scheme. The shoulder plates, the chest plate, her bracers, the area which covered her upper tights and the two massive swords she was carrying on her back were mainly coloured red while the rest of her armour had a dark grey, almost black colour. Except for her head and her neck, her entire body was covered by armour. Her skin was very pale and she had red glowing eyes. I had to say that she was beautiful, in her own way. I had never admired the beauty of other girls and women and I wouldn't start with that in undeath.

"Who are you?" I asked casually and regarded her one more time.

"I am Selania Wildreaper. I'm one of the commanders of the master's armies"

_A high ranked member of the Scourge. What does she want from me?_ I asked myself and continued to look at her with an uninterested expression on my face.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"The master wants to see you" she responded with a strict voice and eyed me from the head to my feet.

"And what if I don't feel to be in the mood to see Arthas?" I asked curiously. Her first response was not verbally but physically. She flipped me around with such force and pressed me against the wall that I hit my head against it. I didn't feel pain but the wound, caused by the impact of my head against the wall, felt really unpleasant.

She pressed her body against my back, pressing my face against the shapeless wall. "First of all, we don't call our master by his first name. And second, you have to obey him and fulfil each of his tasks and demands. Only because you have been his whore in life, before he had become the Lich King, doesn't mean you could play like you were the boss. Is that clear?"

"Clear enough" I hissed, ignoring the little spikes which were pressed against my face.

"Good. Now, where we have agreed to all points, I would request you to follow me _Jaina Proudwhore_ " she responded and giggled which sounded like the noise a dying animal was making. She let me go and pushed me to the ground, laughing herself silly when she regarded me standing up slowly. I felt an unnatural hatred for this woman but I ignored it and walked passed her. I would like to ram a sharp ice splinter in the woman's face, so angry she had made me, but I didn't because I knew that it would just make things worse for me.

I had no other choice than follow her. A bunch of ugly undead creatures were staring at us while we were walking through the long and wide corridors. I refused to look at Selania, instead, I stared at the slick ice-walls. We walked for a while until we reached the teleporter which would bring us to the top of this fortress. I stopped in front of the platform and hesitated for a moment. I was about to step on it when Selania pushed me forward, causing that I fell on the ground as soon as we arrived on the top.

My face met the icy ground. I ignored the laughter from Selania as I stood up and adjusted my outfit. I shot a deadly glare at her but made it even worse. She didn't stop to laugh over me until we got close to the icy stairs which would lead to the Frozen Throne, on which the Lich King was sitting.

He looked mighty and powerful as always. His massive and firm armour covered his body, the Helm of Domination covered most parts of his face. He was staring at us, Frostmourne in his right hand while his other hand rested casually on the armrest of his throne. Arthas size was so little compared to the gigantic ice column which stood behind the Frozen Throne.

I knew he was very powerful. He had been a strong paladin before he had claimed Frostmourne. The power of the cursed blade had made him even stronger, stronger than I could ever imagine. I didn't know what he was really capable of but I considered him as one of the strongest warriors who currently existed on Azeroth.

I had guessed that the Lich King would order us to step closer to him so that we could listen to his orders but instead, he was shouting with his fearsome and very loud voice. "Jaina Proudmoore. It's good to see that your transformation was successful. How do you feel?"

How do I...? I never thought that the Lich King would care about the feelings and thoughts about his minions. Again, I was wrong about him. I have never actually witnessed how he treated his other servants but I was pretty sure that he was treating me differently, in a better way I hoped.

I looked at him, noticing that he was excepting an answer. The corner of my eyes recognized Selania who was giving me a dangerous and, at the same time, threatening look. It seemed that I had been lost in thoughts and hadn't answered the question immediately which made Selania upset, thinking I would disrespect her master. No. OUR master was the fitting term. The Lich King, on the other hand, stayed calm and regarded me with a wide smile on his lips. I didn't know why he was smiling. Was he smiling because of me or because of another reason? I didn't know and I didn't really care.

"I'm fine" I responded. It was a lie, of course, it was. I didn't really know how I should feel at the moment. I should be angry and full of hatred like every undead creature who had been raised to life and wasn't affected by the Lich King's control. On the other hand, the Lich King would expect that I would be honoured to serve him, like most members of the Scourge were. I don't really want to serve the Lich King but I guess I had no other choice. At least I was glad that I was not under his full control and could have a personality, unlike most of the members of the Scourge.

"Are you sure?" he asked. His voice contained no emotions but I was sure that he was doubting my response.

"Yes, A... I mean my lord. It's not easy to get used to this body but I was pretty sure that I get along with it sooner or later" I replied and looked at him, showing him my respect.

"Good. I have the perfect task for you to get used to your enhanced body and test what you are capable of" he shouted.

"What should I do master?"

"I want you to go with Commander Wildreaper and her troops to the Shadow Vault and retake it. Our enemies are still occupying it. I want to have my territories back. For that, you need a strong weapon. I have ordered my most talented servants to forge a weapon which would be worthy of your skills" he lifted his hand a little and a magical wand appeared in front of me.

The wand was almost as tall as me. The handle was made out of pure, infusible ice. Above the tip, which looked like the tip of a trident, floated a huge and shapeless blue crystal. The crystal was taller than my head and I was able to see my reflection in it. I noticed that my right cheek was burst from Selania's mistreating, meaning that I had to look for a necromancer who could fix this.

"Take it and shatter our enemies with it"

"I will. Thank you, my master" I said and bowed to him. I didn't want to bow to him but I had no other choice or my face would meet the floor again.

"That's all I wanted to her. Now you can do whatever you want. Commander Wildreaper will inform you when the mission will start" the Lich King shouted and turned his gaze to Selania, meaning that he had dismissed me. I looked at him then at Selania who was giving me a malicious smile. I turned around and walked to the teleporting platform. I didn't know what exactly I would do with my 'free time' right now. I assumed that the best was to practice with the staff before I use it in combat.

I went to the room, I knew was used as a training room for death knight's, mages, necromancers and other spellcaster and fighters. I walked to the training dummies and started to shot frostbolts at them. It worked very well, only the protection spell which had been spoken on these dummies, protected them from getting destroyed by my magic. I create fireball after fireball and shot them at the dummies. I practiced on more spells I had used in life like arcane abilities, various frost and fire abilities. I practiced for a few hours, finding out that I was a lot stronger than I had been in life.

I found out that being undeath had its advantages as a mage. I could cast more spells in a short period of time without getting exhausted too soon. My spells were a lot stronger and I was even capable of necromancy, meaning I could heal the wound in my face with ease.

I kept practicing until I was really exhausted after a few more hours. In life, I only would have been able to practice only half of the time. I was very satisfied with myself. I will prove the Lich King that I will be worthy for him, that I will be worthy enough to be his queen. I may not be able to be together with the Arthas I once had known but at least I wanted to be together with this version of Arthas, hoping that I could reach the good side in him one day.


	2. First Mission

_Jaina's POV_

I saw the Shadow Vault already from afar. It was a huge fortress, by far not as huge as Icecrown Citadel but very big for a fortress. This fortress had once belonged to the Scourge, belonged to us before the Forsaken under the lead of Sylvanas Windrunner had taken it away from Lich King's control.

The fortress was surrounded by huge mountains. The main building was round and had the shape of a tower. Next to it stood two turrets, which looked more like lookout points and were built into the mountains. The fortress was on a much higher level, meaning we had to follow a steep path to reach it. I turned around and looked at the massive army of tens of thousands of ghouls, skeletons and other undead creatures which did their best to hid behind a large mountain so that no defender would notice them.

Next to me stood Selania who would lead this army into the battle. She was wearing a typical helmet for a death knight. It was a black helmet which resembled a skull and had horns attached on the skullcap. She was observing the fortress and waited for the perfect moment to strike. She had already told me her plan.

The main army will charge at the keep while the gargoyles, flying nerubians and the two frost wyrms will take care of their defensive constructs. My task was to kill as many Forsaken and other defenders as I could. I didn't see any problem with my task, still, Selania was doubting my skills. She seemed to have a strong dislike against me and I didn't know why. Maybe she was jealous because of Arthas. The Lich King was giving me more attention than her. As long as she didn't bully me, I will be fine with her.

We waited for another half an hour. I noticed that I really got impatient but I didn't say anything and continued to wait. Selania turned around and looked at me. "The change of shift is happening right now. We will attack them now where they are distracted" she said. I nodded and tightened my grip on my staff. Selania gave the army the signal to follow her. These mindless creatures did as they were told and followed her along the path to the fortress.

I sent frostbolts at the first defenders, who served as scouts, to kill them before they could alarm the others. Theydropped dead, unfortunately, they produced noises when they hit the ground. Luckily, nobody had noticed their deaths and our march towards the fortress. A necromancer stepped in front of me and raised the fallen scouts.

The undead army rushed over the icy ground, still, no defender had noticed us to this point. They would notice us at the latest when the loud stamping of the undead, especially of the abominations, would be hearable for them. I saw two dozen defenders approaching us as soon as we reached the stairs which would lead us to the forecourt of the fortress. I killed three of them with a huge fireball, two of them with sharp ice missiles and I blasted one with an arcane shot. The other defenders were quickly taken out by Selania and the undead. Five of our necromancers bolstered our army by raising the fallen guards.

A group of about fifty Forsaken and twenty orcs approached us. A few of them were lifted in the air by gargoyles and dropped elsewhere, the others were quickly taken out by Selania and me. I haven't seen her fighting before but I had to admit that her fighting style was very impressive. She was swinging the two massive swords with ease and annihilated at least three soldiers with one swing. She had such a brute force that she was even able to hack an enemy abomination in two halves with one strike. I, on the other hand, needed a combination of a few spells to take such a monstrosity down. It was no wonder that she was one of the Lich King's best and most estimated commanders. She knew a lot about strategic and she was a very strong fighter.

But I also did very well with killing these defenders. I could kill an orc or a Forsaken by using only one spell and I managed to take out a group of twelve Forsaken by freezing their feet to the ground and then letting a hail of sharp ice splinters raining down on them. It would be a lot easier to kill them with fire but that would mean we couldn't raise them afterwards. Commander Wildreaper had accentuated that we should raise as many fallen enemies as possible and I wouldn't dare to oppose her and make her dislike me more than she already did.

We killed more and more defenders without losing too many members of our army. We were able to raise most of our fallen ghouls and other undead creatures again, only a few of them were burned by their mages before our necromancers could make their wicked spells work. We managed to drive the defenders back to the gate of the fortress, strengthening our army with each soldier we slew. We increased the influence of the Scourge with each part of this territory we took and claimed as ours.

More and more members of the Alliance and the Horde came out of the fortress and charged at us and our army. I noticed that I didn't hesitate to kill Alliance soldiers nor do I feel bad about killing them. It was frightening that I didn't care about the Alliance anymore. Before my death, I would have done anything to protect the Alliance and keep peace with the Horde. Now, I slew them one by one with my spells.

Most of these Alliance soldiers recognized me, they got shocked expressions and sometimes even stopped fighting for a moment, which lead to the deaths of a few of them. Even some members of the Horde recognized me, they knew me because I have worked as an ambassador to keep the peace between the Alliance and the Horde.

The frost wyrms and the gargoyles took care, like expected, of their catapults and canons on the towers. The frost wyrms also froze in a lot of approaching defenders so that we could kill them easily. The gargoyles lifted more and more soldiers up and brought them away, dropping them from a very tall height.

I turned around when my ears recognized a load roar. A huge abomination, larger than most of ours, charged towards me. It was really fast for its little legs, somehow, I wasn't able to react fast enough and it hit me with a punch of his massive fist. I flew a few meters away, landing hard on the ground. I heard Selania mutter something like 'This useless bitch' before she jumped in front of the abomination and separated one of its arms from its body. I gritted my teeth and got up, lifting my wand to cast a huge pyroblast. While I was busy with casting, Selania hacked its remaining arms off. The pyroblast hit the abomination and finished it. Fortunately, the fire didn't consume too much of its body so that the necromancers were still able to raise it.

I looked into the crystal of my wand, observing the wound the hit of the abomination had caused. I used necromantic magic, in which I had been trained a few days ago by Kel'Thuzad himself, to 'heal' this wound. In life, I had never thought I would be taught by this wicked necromancer. Like many other things, my death had changed a lot. I didn't feel any mercy or affection for the warriors of the Alliance and the Horde. Instead, I felt connected to the Lich King, to Arthas, to the Scourge and every other undead creature.

My dreams of an Azeroth in peace had changed to a dream where Azeroth belongs to the Scourge and to my master. In life, I was hoping to get the good Arthas back. I was still hoping that but I would be also satisfied to be together with this version of Arthas. Somehow, I still felt the extraordinary strong connection to him. Maybe it was because of the way how Frostmourne's magic works or it was because I always fell for Arthas, maybe both. I only knew one thing, I wanted to serve Arthas as best as possible and become his Queen, his co-ruler and his most powerful servant.

I heard Selania shouting something at me, bringing me out of my thoughts. I blinked around, noticing that a few Forsaken were coming towards me. I reacted quickly, creating an ice barrier around me which blocked the attacks of these Forsaken. I jumped backwards and froze their feet to the ground. I killed the mage before he was able to melt the ice. The others were taken down my ghouls and skeletons who jumped on them and worked on them quickly.

We continued to fight. Getting to the entrance of the fortress took longer than we had expected. More and more defenders came out of it and they even got assistance from other cities which came through portals. In the end, we managed to reach entrance after three days of constant fighting. I have lost count on how many enemies I had slain. Maybe a few hundred, maybe a few thousand. I didn't know. We broke through the mass of defenders, which had guarded the entrance, and we entered the fortress.

The room was very huge. The floor was covered by stones plates which looked like skulls. The walls, the floor and the ceiling were made out of a very dark grey material which was decorated by various symbols. The ceiling was supported by eight massive columns which created kind of a corridor in the middle of the room. I spotted the leader of this Forsaken base.

His name was Duke Lankral. He was one of Lich King's former death knights who had broken free from his control when Ner'zhul had become weaker. He was wearing a typical death knight armour with a dark colour scheme and a massive sword with a long, red glowing blade. He had been once a human of average size, he had long grey hair, a grey full beard and blue glowing eyes. Currently, he was fighting against several of our ghouls, taking them out one by one without a problem.

I killed a few humans who dared to approach me, while I walked to him. Selania was faster and rushed to him before I was able to cast any spell. She attacked him but he managed to block both of her swords with his blade. She managed to knock him back with all of her strength and attacked him again but he was able to block her attack once again. I walked to the left to get a better angle at him. I shot a frostbolt at him, hitting and freezing his left foot. I was about to send another spell at him when I noticed that an undead elf was charging at me. I turned around and cast a frostbolt but the elf, with the long orange hair, dodged my ability and hit me with a forceful kick.

He hit me with another kick and sent me to the ground, my staff dropped out of my hand and rolled over the floor. He aimed a swift blow, with his dagger, at my head but I avoided it at the last moment by rolling away. He didn't stop attacking me and even managed to hit me. The sharp dagger pierced through my left shoulder with ease. I hissed, feeling no real pain but an unpleasant feeling.

The rogue drew his dagger out and was about to stab me again, but this time I was faster and pierceda huge and sharp ice shard through his chest. The shard was not as strong as it would have been if I would have carried my staff but It was still strong enough to stun the elf for a moment. I shot an arcane blast at him, knocking him away. I got up slowly and finished the weakened elf with another frostbolt.

I didn't hesitate and raised him immediately, making him loyal to me and to the Scourge. I looked around and noticed that Selania had defeated the Duke. She picked up my staff and walked to me, handing it to me as soon as she reached me.

"Do not lose it again Proudmoore. You should watch over the master's gifts more carefully instead of losing them" she hissed and charged at the next enemy before I was able to respond to her. The glare she had given me when she had walked to me, told me that she still didn't like me. I was wondering why. I had done a good job at killing these defenders, still, she wasn't respecting. Maybe because of her higher rank or her arrogance. I didn't know and I didn't care at all. As long as she didn't annoy me, she could think of me whatever she wanted.

We slew the remaining defenders and bolstered our ranks with them. Unfortunately, their mages had managed to burn a third of the corpses of our and their fallen soldiers, meaning that we had gotten fewer creatures than we had expected. Still, we had gained more creatures than we had lost, meaning our ranks were stronger while our enemies had lost a few thousand soldiers, who will never return.

I smiled when I observed the new recruits in our army. I may have known a few of these humans before the Lich King turned me into a Frost Lich but I didn't really mind killing these meaningless humans. They had been in my way, I had to kill them to prove the Lich King, to prove Arthas, that I was worthy and useful for him. I didn't want to disappoint him, and I know I didn't disappoint him this day. I had fought very well. I had given my best to help Selania leading the Scourge to victory. Our victory was glorious, the undead creatures were roaring and the few necromancers, who were still alive were, cheering while the undead necromancers didn't show any kind of emotion. Not even joy.

I waited until Selania had decided who will stay in the fortress and who will follow us back to Icecrown Citadel. A third of our army, around ten thousand undead creatures, stayed in the fortress while the rest followed me and the commander back to the Citadel. Duke Lankral had been turned and now served for the Scourge again. He will be in charge of the Shadow Vault and make sure that no one will retake it.

We decided against using a portal, instead, we chose to walk back to Icecrown Citadel because such a huge portal for such a numerous army would cost a lot of strength to keep it up long enough that every creature could step through. It would be impossible to transfer every single undead creature through this portal before it would be closed.

Our journey took almost a week until we reached the gates of the citadel. Thousands of undead creatures were spread all over the area in front of the gate. Nearly a hundred huge undead giants walked around and patrolled the area. Frost wyrms flew circles around this area and watched everything from above.

A powerful and long-lasting spell protected these walls. The ground of the forecourt was uneven and partly split. The massive building behind it, which size outclassed every other building on Azeroth, was no other than Icecrown Citadel. It was impossible for me to guess how tall it was in total, it was just very very very huge. Even walking through the forecourt took a while for us, not to mention the time we needed to climb the wide and very tall stairs. Hundreds of undead creatures, mostly gargoyles and nerubians, stood on top of the massive walls, which bordered at the sides of the stairs. They were looking down at us.

We came to the massive front door of the citadel which had triple the size of the largest undead giant I ever had seen. We didn't hesitate and entered the powerful but also spooky citadel as soon as the gate was opened.

Later this day, I found myself walking around the creepy corridors of Icecrown Citadel. I still wasn't fully used to the gloominess of this horrible place but it didn't frighten me anymore like it had done when I had been there for the first time. Being undead meant that people got used to such places over the time, in my case it took longer than for other undead creatures.

I walked until I spotted the Lich King's private chamber at the end of the corridor. I was wondering why he had a private chamber. Arthas was a death knight before he became the Lich King, which meant that he didn't need to rest and sleep like every other undead creature.

Suddenly, the door to his chamber opened and Selania stepped out of it. Her white hair was messy, she looked more relaxed and less tensed than she normally did. She stopped in front of the door and adjusted her armour and her hair a little. She walked forwards, passing me without looking at me. Her lips were formed to a scornful and satisfied smile.

What had she done in his chamber? And why did she looked so relaxed and satisfied? Could it be? No... there has to be another explanation for her happy mood. I don't believe that she... She and the Lich King... No that doesn't make sense at all.

I felt a wave of jealousy hit me when the only logical explanation came in my mind. I couldn't believe it. I didn't want to believe it. There was no way that the Lich King still felt something like sexual desire. The human Arthas had lost control over his body on that day when he had picked up Frostmourne. With this part gone, also his feelings, needs and desires had become meaningless. At least I had believed that until this day.

I knew it was not my Arthas, not the Arthas I once have loved, but imagine him with another woman filled me with rage and jealousy, a large amount of jealousy. I didn't know that I could feel other negative feelings except for anger and hatred. I felt betrayed. Of course, I knew that between me and the Lich King didn't exist any kind of a relationship except serfdom but that didn't stop me from being jealous and feeling a strong dislike and hatred for Selania.

It was really odd feeling these kinds of emotions. I never have been jealous in life because I never had feared that the Arthas I had loved, would cheat on me with another woman. He had loved me so much but still had broken up with me because he hadn't felt to be ready for a real relationship. Over the time, we would have come together again if the plague and the rise of the Scourge would not have happened.

Now, I could only accept that Arthas was gone and that the Lich King was a completely different person. I was still hoping that there was another explanation for Selania coming out of his private chamber. My explanations weren't logical, I was telling myself that Arthas had no feeling and I managed to convince myself that the Lich King had no mortal desires like sexual desire. I convinced myself that I was interpreting too much.

But it turned out what I was wrong. Indeed, the Lich King had a sexual desire which I learned the hard way.

A few weeks later he came in my room, which I had furnished well enough for my liking. He didn't say anything. He just walked to me, turned me around and pressed me against the wall. By the loud sound of a heavy object which hit the ground, I could tell that he had taken off his helmet and had dropped it onto the floor. He was whispering something to me which sounded like 'You did a very good job during the assault on Shadow Vault. I should reward you for this'. He started to kiss my neck, feeling his cold lips on my skin caused that shivers ran down my spine but also excitement built up in my body.

He took off his gauntlets and undressed me, exploring my body with his cold hands. His touch was a lot colder than I remember but it still felt good. Although he was about to abuse me or at least force me to have sex with him, I didn't resist him. I could have fought against him but I didn't and the reason for that was not that I was his servant and should obey him. The reason why I didn't resist was that I wanted it too, I just didn't realize it at this moment.

In life, I would have resisted against everyone who would be have been too obtrusive. I would have even resisted Arthas if he would have tried to force me to do something with him which I didn't want to do. But now, I didn't care at all. I felt anticipation rose up as he continued with his foreplay. I let him have his way with me, not because I have to obey him. All in all, I wanted it too for a reason I couldn't explain to myself.

His thrusts were forceful, he was only carrying about his pleasure, not mine. Still, it felt really good for me and I enjoyed it. It felt strange to have sex with an undead person. He felt very cold in me. The sex was not as good as the sex when had gotten when we both had been alive and together but it was still acceptable. He didn't look directly at me, not for a single time. He just stood behind me and caused pleasure for both of us.

He didn't stay when we were done with having sex like he would have done when we had been alive. He left immediately after he had put on his armoury. He didn't say a single word to me and I said nothing to him. We just kept this memory in our minds and decided to never speak about it again.

His attitude toward me hadn't changed at all. He still treated me as one of his minions, even if it seemed that I had a special rank under his most favourite servants. Selania, on the other hand, seemed to dislike me even more, as if she would know what Arthas and I had done together. She sent hatefully and disliking glances at me every time we met and she ignored me most of the time when I tried to speak with her about a topic which wasn't about our duties or the Scourge in general. I tried to get closer to her but she seemed to prefer keeping distance to me.

Such a shame, I could really need a friend. I tried to speak to other members of the Scourge but most of them were brainless creatures without personality, only the death knights and the necromancers had some kind of a personality. I avoided the necromancers because the only talked about murder and violence. I only spoke to them when I wanted to improve my necromantic abilities. Most of the death knights didn't talk at all or were just boring.

Without friends or other people, I could talk to, I had nothing to do at all during the entire day. I didn't need to sleep so I had a lot of free time. Too much time for my liking. Most of the time, I studied mage spells and necromancy. Sometimes, I visited a few, by the Scourge occupied, villages and met their leaders or other persons of high military rank. These visits turned out to be boring most of the times.

Sometimes, I spotted a group of living who dared to invade our lands, to spy us out or find out the current situation in Icecrown. I killed all of them, raising them afterwards. Except for these little pastimes, I really had nothing to do during the entire day.

Weeks later, I found myself in my room, leaning against window-sill while I regarded the sad and icy wasteland around the citadel. Nothing really had happened during these weeks, except for a few attacks of smaller troops of the Scourge which had taken a few villages back under their control.

The air met my skin but I didn't feel the cold. I never have thought that I would miss the feeling of the cold wind against my hot skin. There were so many other things I was missing. Eating for example. Not only exquisite food, but I also missed eating casual food. I missed the taste of bread, meat, water, wine and many other food and drinks. I missed falling slowly in a deep slumber every evening and waking up every day. I missed walking on the beach. I miss the feeling of wet sand against my bare feet. I missed taking a sunbath.

I miss so many things but there were also a few things which had annoyed me every day, which I won't miss. Feeling powerless after a few spells belonged to these things. As an undead, I was able to cast a lot of spells without getting exhausted too soon. I had trained a lot during the last weeks, meaning that I had gained a lot more stamina for casting spells. Currently, I was able to cast five times more spells than I had been able to cast when I had been alive.

I was wondering what the future was holding for me. I was wondering how my destiny will look like. Do I have to serve Arthas until the end of the time? Will Arthas get free from the Lich King's and Frostmourne's grip? Will he become a good person one day? Will I become a bad person? Will I become a mass murdering monster? Will I become the Queen of the Lich King? Or will I just end as one of his servants? Will the Lich King be stopped one day? Would that mean that Arthas and I die in the end? Will the good side win over the evil side or reversed?

There were so many questions in my head about the future but I couldn't answer one of them. Everything could happen. The question was could I influence my fate or am I unable to change my destiny?

I didn't know what will await me. I was not even sure if I want to know what would happen in the future. Knowing too much about the future was always bad and often resulted in changes in the timeline. Even the smallest changes could have drastic consequences.

Suddenly, I was brought back out of my thoughts by a loud knock at the door. "You can come in" I shouted and continued to look out of the window because I expected that Selania would come in. I noticed a moment later that it wasn't Selania because my ears recognized the sound produced by a man who cleared his throat. I turned around, my eyes widened in shock and surprise when I recognized who was standing in my room.

It was the undead version of Tirion Fordring who was standing in my door, arms crossed in front of his chest. He looked way much paler, he had the typical blue glowing eyes of a death knight, his hair and beard were tousled and he was wearing a dark coloured version of his former paladin armour on which back the corrupted Ashbringer hung. He saluted to me and spoke with a deep voice "The Lich King wants to see you".

I felt guilty while looking at him. He died because of me. He would have been alive like many others if I wouldn't have warned Arthas. I always had considered Tirion as a friend, even if not as a close one but he was always friendly to me and we fought against the Scourge in many battles and skirmishes.

Him being turned to un undead really filled me with dismay. I felt really guilty but on the other hand, I didn't regret my decisions. The Lich King would have died if I hadn't warned him, meaning I would never have been able to get my Arthas back. I was still believing that I could reach the good Arthas, maybe not today or in the near future but I was pretty sure that I will reach him one day and stop him from conquering the world. Until that day I had to serve for him and do whatever he wants to me, even if I have to kill people I once considered as my friends.

"Tell him that I'm coming"

"Yes, my lady" he responded and bowed to me before he left and closed the door behind him.

My lady? I can't remember the last time when someone had called me a lady. I remembered that Arthas had called me 'his lady' to mock and tease me. Nowadays, I was everything but a Lady. I was the mighty Frost Lich Jaina, former Archmage of the Kirin Tor and current servant of the Lich King. I knew that I was one of the highest respected servants of the Lich King.

Fortunately, no one really knew that I had been turned. According to our spies, the people think that I was still missing. Some even considered me as dead. I have heard that my mother had held a funeral for me, although she had no corpse to bury. This had surprised me when I had heard that, considering that I didn't have the best reputation after I was declared as jointly responsible for my father's death.

I wish I could see my mother right now, speaking with her and holding her in my arms but the people of Kul Tiras would execute me as soon as they would see me because I belonged to the Scourge. Maybe I can meet her one day. HOPEFULLY, I can meet her one day under better circumstances.

I spent a few minutes with thinking about my past, about the decisions I had made. I thought about my friends and family before I took my staff and walked out of my room, locking the door behind me.

_Lich King's POV_

There she was. Jaina Proudmoore in all her glory. I had to admit that she looked very beautiful in her new Frost Lich form. She had been a beauty in life but death had made her even more beautiful. I had watched her over the past weeks and had found out that she was doing fine. It had surprised me that she had gotten used to her new body and her new 'life' so quickly, considering that most undead creatures with a free will had their struggles with their new situation. I could have putten her under full control so that she wouldn't be able to disobey my orders but I hadn't done it for some reason I couldn't explain.

I'm not sure why I had done it but It seems that full control over her wasn't required. She was fulfilling my tasks without questioning them. Unless she doesn't disobey me, I don't think that she will cause any problems. She had once turned her back on me when she had left me in front of the gates of Stratholme. Hopefully, she won't do the same mistake again. Hopefully for her. I would never forgive her if she would betray me once again. The consequences of a betrayal would be grievous.

I was wondering how my future with her would look like. I have promised her to take her as my queen. She may think that I still feel something for her but I actually have no feelings for her, no romantic feelings at least. I regarded her more as a tool, like every other servant. A tool which could be useful and bring me many victories. Deep inside I may feel something for her but these feelings were buried under hatred, anger, greed for power and other negative emotions caused by the influence of the Frostmourne.

Frostmourne spoke to me like it usually did. It told me to keep an eye on this woman. I didn't know why but I knew better than to ignore its whispers. Frostmourne had been always with me and had shown me the right way. Currently, it was supporting me in my campaign against the weakened mortals who had dared to attack Icecrown and had nearly killed me if Jaina wouldn't have warned me. I was deeply grateful to her but I didn't show it.

She was standing in the middle of the platform, looking at me full of expectation. That fool Tirion Fordring had brought her to me as I had ordered. She bowed to me and got up when I gave her the signal. Her blue glowing eyes looked at me. She didn't show any sign of intimidation, although I had abused her. She didn't seem to be angry or hurt, I was pretty sure that she had enjoyed it as much as I had.

"Hello Jaina"

She responded quickly. She wasn't using my first name as she had done in life, instead, she addressed me as her master which was a good sign. She didn't seem to resist me and accepted the current situation she was in.

"I'm sure you want to know why I have called for you?" I asked, my piercing blue glowing eyes rested on her.

"Yes, master" she responded and looked continued to look at me.

"I want that you will lead my army to the Argent Vanguard and drive these mortals out of Icecrown. I want to conquer each territory in Northrend before I will plan my campaign to conquer the other continents on Azeroth. Tirion and Commander Wildreaper will assist you but you will be in charge of the attack. Plan it carefully"

"As you wish, master" she shouted and bowed to me. I lifted my hand, telling her that she could go. She nodded and looked at me one more time before she walked to the teleporting platform and disappeared through it.

I sat on my thorn, eyes closed while I used my dark magical abilities to watch over the activity of my left troops. My army was a lot weaker than it had been before the inhabitants of Azeroth had sent their best fighters against me. They had decimated tens of thousands undead creatures without losing too many of their soldiers. They had burned a lot of my servants so that my necromancers couldn't raise them. But now these twenty-five heroes were gone and served me in death. My army was recovering slowly from the massacre in the citadel.

Currently, most of my troops stayed in Icecrown. Only little patrols, spy troops or other groups were stationed in the other territories of Northrend. Soon, I will conquer every territory in Northrend and then I will continue with the other continents on Azeroth. Soon, nobody will be able to stop me. The living had lost so many strong fighters, Tirion included. Soon, everyone will serve me. For now, I have to wait patiently until my army will be as strong as it once was and then they will run over the living.

I turned my head to the teleporting platform as a familiar person appeared through it. It was Commander Wildreaper who walked straight to me. She was the only servant who dared to climb the stairs to the Frozen Throne and stand next to me. She bowed to me as soon as she reached me.

"What do you want Commander Wildreaper?" I asked and looked at her, my blue glowing eyes met hers.

"Commander Wildreaper? Seriously? You are calling me as if nothing between us had happened" she exclaimed and looked at me. I didn't get intimidated by her angry look, instead, I looked at her calmly and with a cocky smile on my lips.

"Well, what should I say"

"You could call me by my first name as you have done before. You can't deny what is between us, master"

"Fine. What do you want Selania?" I asked her, my hand reached out and toyed with her hair.

"Well, I have nothing to do right now, so I thought I could spend time with you where we could do something else than staying in your room and doing certain activities" she responded and looked at me full of expectation.

"You have never spent your limited free time with me before. What has changed?" I asked curiously. I looked in her face and recognized a hint of jealousy, strong jealousy. I knew what exactly was going on in her mind. She was jealous that I was treating Jaina better than any other of my servants, sometimes I paid more attention to what Jaina was doing than to what Selania was doing for the Scourge.

Selania was a beautiful, strong-willed woman who would do everything for the Scourge. She would sacrifice her life for the Scourge without hesitation. She would do everything for our victory. She was absolutely loyal to me. She even killed her own husband and made him to a mindless ghoul because I had demanded that to test her loyalty.

Jaina on the other hand... I was not fully sure if I could trust her. She could become a very powerful and valuable resource for the Scourge if she would prove me that I could fully trust her. She had saved me from Tirion and she had killed Alliance members without hesitation during the siege of the Shadow Vault. I had given her the opportunity to have a free will and a personality. Hopefully, she would use it wisely and wouldn't betray me.

It would be a waste of such a beauty with such an enormous potential. I would feel bad if I would have to kill her. I had no romantic feelings for her but she still was important to me. I couldn't explain why but it was undeniable that Jaina's true death would leave an emptiness in me, in my frozen and not beating heart.

Selania didn't respond verbally, instead, she looked at me with a grim expression on her face.

"It is because of Jaina, isn't it?" I asked and observed her reaction. She flinched slightly when her ears recognized the name, her eyelids fluttered for a few moments.

"I don't trust her" she hissed.

"I know that but that's not the reason why you are so upset. You are actually jealous of her" I laughed amused and continued to look at her. She had crossed her arms in front of her chest and looked away, not wanting to admit that I was speaking the truth.

"I'm not jealous, at least not of her" she responded but I knew that she was lying. I could read it in her eyes when she looked back at me.

"You are jealous. Stop denying it Selania"

She was silent for a minute then she spoke "Okay... Maybe, I'm a little bit jealous".

"You don't need to be jealous. She means nothing to me except a valuable resource" I responded. It was not the truth, I knew but I didn't want to admit that I still cared for Jaina. I didn't want to make the mistake again and fall for this woman so that she could abandon me and hurt me in the worst way possible. I couldn't deny that my world was nothing without Jaina but I didn't want to admit it either.

"You know my feelings for you master" she said and walked closer to me.

"Yes, I know your feelings but I have already told you that I don't feel the same way"

"I know. I just want to be with you physically, if not emotionally. I don't want that this woman will change anything between us"

"She won't change our _relationship_ " Once again I wasn't telling the truth but I didn't want to hurt Selania, at least not before a very important assault on a high priority target of my campaign. I didn't know what the future holds for me but I was pretty sure that I will be victories. Jaina Proudmoore will be the right tool the Scourge needed to be victorious this time and I will make sure that she will stay alive and serve the Scourge forever.


	3. The Argent Vanguard

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I want to excuse myself for grammar mistakes which could be in this and future chapter. The English language is not my mother tongue and it is sometimes pretty hard as a writer to spot your own mistakes. I keep looking over my chapters twice before I post them but that doesn't mean that I spot all mistakes. So, as long as I don't find a prove reader, there might be a few grammar mistakes in future chapters. So, forgive me please. I'm only a human after all, unfortunately.
> 
> I want to remind you, once again, that this is not the typical happy romance-story. This story is a bit darker and contains more violence and stuff. So, don't be scared/scandalized by this chapter. Hopefully, you will continue to read this story. I'm putting a lot of work and time in every chapter. If you don't like this story then you don't need to continue to read it.
> 
> Anyways, enjoy it.

_**Chapter Three - The Argent Vanguard** _

_ Jaina's POV _

I stood on top of a ziggurat, watching the undead army of foul creatures stamping over the dead wasteland. The base Scourgeholme, which was located in the east of Icecrown, was one of these places I had avoided in life and still detested. I wish that I wouldn't be there. I wish that I would be still alive and could wake up in my chamber in Dalaran every day. I was hoping that this will turn out as a very bad and livid nightmare.

The cruel reality was that this was real and I knew I had to travel to more of these horrible places in the near future. Most of the times, I accepted my destiny and ignored the circumstances. Sometimes, I couldn't ignore my current situation. I was angry and sad during these rare moments, feeling an emptiness inside which couldn't be filled by anything. Not even by the memories of my dear Arthas before he had turned to the dark side.

Currently, I was in such a phase where I regretted everything I have done and hated myself for my actions. I didn't only hate myself, I hated everything else, especially these ugly undead creatures. I hated this place, these 'people', the Lich King, the Alliance, the Horde, my family and everyone else. I calmed down after half an hour and stopped hating everything and everyone. I looked around and observed the army at my feet.

There were so many undead creatures that I barely saw the dead, grey and partly green glowing ground beneath their monstrous feet. The area which included Scourgeholme was very large compared to an average Scourge base. It only consisted out of five buildings, if you counted the flying mini-fortress in. The buildings were positioned in a very large distance to each other, making it possible that a lot of creatures could flood the ground.

With a lot, I really meant a lot. I had trouble counting these creatures but I was pretty sure that we had gathered more creatures than we had used for the assault on the Shadow Vault. Thousands of ghouls formed the first wave, the so-called frontline. The second wave consisted out of about five hundred nerubians. These spider-like creatures were a lot taller than the ones I had met during my missions in Northrend. Necromancers, who hide behind a barrier and their skeletal servants, were the next wave. Behind the necromancers were more ghouls lead by powerful death knights. Five of these death knights belonged to those who had been killed and raised by the Lich King on top of Icecrown Citadel.

Hundreds of massive abominations would attack after them. These abominations weren't ordinary ones. They were a lot larger, stronger and even faster than the average creature made out of different body parts. I looked at the sky and spotted a few hundred gargoyles, flying nerubians and other winged creatures. Behind them were five very large frost wyrms, which belonged to Sindragosa's strongest children.

My plan was simple. First, we will conquer the Crusaders' Pinnacle then we will march through the Breach and attack the Argent Vanguard from all sides. The rest of our army waited, in a fair distance, behind the Argent Vanguard and would attack the south of the military base as soon as they would see the frost wyrms on the horizon. Commander Wildreaper will lead these forces into the battle while Tirion will attack the west front with his forces. The rest of our army will follow me and attack the base directly. The siege should be an easy win for us if all happens as I have planned it.

The only reason why I was hesitating to give the command to attack was the voice of the Lich King in my head which had told me to wait for a while. I didn't know why I should wait but I knew that I should listen to him, first of all, because he was my master and he saw everything that was happening in Northrend from his icy throne, meaning he could give me a couple helpful tips.

I showed patience and waited for almost an entire hour where nothing happened. Finally, the thundering voice of the Lich King sounded in my head, telling me that I should lead his troops to victory. I rose my staff in the air and gave the Scourge army the signal to follow me into the battle. I teleported in front of my army and climbed on a skeletal horse, commanding it to move by spurring it. The horse obeyed my command and walked forward, slowly at first then a lot faster.

I spotted a lot of humans on top of the Crusaders' Pinnacle. Even from afar my ears recognized the loud sound of their horns which warned everyone that we were coming. Their mages and archers stepped to the edge of the mountain plateau and fired everything they got at us. Of course, it was by far not enough to threaten us. I was protected by a powerful barrier which blocked their arrows, fireballs and other spells. We lost two dozen ghouls before we reached the foot of the mountain. Half of these ghouls were burned so that no necromancer could raise them. The others stood up again after a necromancer had cast their spells.

Gargoyles launched at the defenders, lifting them in the air and dropping them far far away from the mountain. I could hear the sound of their cracking bones when they landed on the icy ground, even when they had been dropped hundreds of meters away from my position. The frost wyrms dealt with their proto-dragons, taking them out with ease. The defender managed to burn most of these dragons before they could have been raised but a few dead dragons remained which became servants of the Scourge after our necromancers were done with them.

The first wave rushed over the steep and twisted path to the top of the plateau where the lookout tower was standing. Without their former leader, Tirion Fordring, the defenders weren't as motivated as they had been during the siege of Icecrown Citadel. These soldiers were scared, terrified and even in panic. The fought hard but their strength was nothing compared to the strength of our massive army. I didn't even need to send the other waves to the pinnacle. The thousands of ghouls and the flying creatures were enough to make short work of these humans.

The little base of these fools fell within two hours, none of them survived. Most of them were added to our army, the bodies of the rest had been burnt to deny that they would found use for us as cannon fodder in future battles. We took the pinnacle under our control and marched to the Breach.

It was a very high but tight gap. I extinguished the fire which consumed the remaining parts of a wooden construction which had once been decorated the gap and had allowed people to pass the gap easily. The defenders had set it on fire, with the hope that the flames would stop us and kill as many of us as possible. We took out the soldiers of the Argent Crusade who stood on the edges of the gap and were firing at us. They were no match for the flying nerubians and gargoyles and ended as reinforcements for our ranks.

We reached the end of the Breach after an hour and spotted the front gate of the Argent Vanguard from afar. We went as close to the base as possible so that our siege engines were able to fire from the maximum range without being in the range of their mounted harpoons and catapults. I waited a few minutes and then gave the signal for the catapults to shoot.

The first wave of stones and explosive material flew towards the enemy base. Half of these missiles missed their target but the other half hit and either killed a few defenders, destroyed a defensive engine or damaged the wall of the fortress which stood around the base. The fortress was not as massive as I had expected but it was strong enough to hold my army back for a while if we wouldn't be able to destroy these walls.

The catapults kept firing and I noticed that the siege engines of Tirion's army did the same, heavily damaging the walls. I regarded the bombarding for over three hours. We managed to destroy their outmost wall and a lot of their catapults and harpoons. The defenders had been too scared to come out and attack us directly. Instead, they had sent out a few stealth groups of rogues who had tried to destroy our engines. They had managed to destroy a few of these before we had noticed them. Still, most of our engines remained and kept firing. We had killed these rogues and had added them to our ranks before they had been able to destroy more catapults.

I heard the evil and thundering voice of the Lich King who was laughing when the main gate fell and the first wave rushed through it. The defenders took hundreds of ghouls, burning most of them. They did well against the first wave but they didn't manage to repel the second wave. The nerubians stamped over them, wrapped them up in sticky webs or even ate them alive. With Tirion's' army and the army lead by Selania, we surrounded our enemies and forced them back on top of the small mountain, the core of the base.

Most of these humans were terrified and shocked when they recognized Tirion. Tirion didn't hesitate and slaughtered his former comrades with his corrupted Ashbringer. The humans didn't fight back at first, only after they had recognized that their former leader wasn't on their side anymore.

The humans were also shocked about my appearance when I had entered the battlefield. A lot of them cursed me and called me a traitor and a whore when I came in their sight. They thought that I had joined Arthas of my own will because I once had been his lover in life. They insulted me and attacked me but they were no match for me. Their insulting mouths stopped speaking when I sent hails of ice-spikes after them. The spikes hit most of the ones who had dared to insult me, killing most of them and heavily hurting the survivors.

I spotted a female paladin who approached me from behind. I turned around and shot a frostbolt after her but she protected herself with a golden barrier around her body. I created an ice-field beneath her feet which should slow her down. It should have but It didn't.

I recognized that this female, who was at the age of thirty, was stronger than the most paladin I had met in my life. The barrier around her was no ordinary barrier. It was a divine shield which made her immune to my slowing spells. She charged at me, the divine shield blocked a large fireball. I knew that the divine shield would only last for a short period of time, meaning that I had to back off and buy some time until it expires. It was easier said than done. The paladin reached me and nearly hit me with a swing of her massive hammer.

"Die whore" she hissed and attacked me again, this time her mighty hammer hit my chest. I staggered backward, my armour and the ice barrier which had covered my skin had caught most of the hit. I felt no pain but it still felt unpleasant. Another insult escaped her lips when her hammer hit me again, sending me to the ground. Her divine shield was still active, much longer than the divine shield of an average paladin. She leaned over me and tried to crush my skill with her hammer but I avoided her hit by rolling away.

Finally, her divine shield expired so that I was able to hit her again. I shot an arcane blast at her, hitting her and causing her to stagger backward. I got up laboriously and froze her feet to the ground. I shot a frostbolt at her but she blocked it with her hammer. Her defensive act bought me enough time to send a large ice splinter after her. The splinter hit her left upper leg. It pierced through her armour and flesh and came out of the other side of her leg. She cried out in pain, blood flowed out of the wound.

Somehow, she managed to get free from my freezing spell. She stumbled backwards and wrapped a golden barrier around her body. It was not as strong and mighty as the divine shield but I could tell that it would at least block a lot of my spells of medium strength.

The paladin healed her wound while I did my best to destroy this barrier. She ran towards me as soon as she was done with healing. She moved as nothing had happened and reached me within a few seconds. I blocked her hammer strike with my staff and teleported a few meters away from her, sending a massive fireball after her. The fireball hit her and flung her away. She suffered several burning wounds but she still managed to stand up. She seemed to ignore the pain as best as possible and gritted her teeth when ran towards me.

I would have finished me if someone wouldn't have attacked me from behind. A Forsaken rogue, a male, stabbed me and pierced his daggers through my ice barrier, which served as a protective layer, with ease and caused a deep wound in my left hip. I turned around immediately and hit him with the top of my staff. I took advantage of the opportunity where he staggered backwards and pierced a large ice-splinter through his chest, killing him immediately.

I turned around and avoided the strike of the paladin at the last moment. She was very angry, her eyes were narrowed and looked at me furiously. She swung her hammer once again but I managed to block it at the last moment. The strike had been so forceful that I staggered backwards, giving her the opportunity to hit me.

She took advantage and sent me to the ground. She lifted her hammer in the air and was about to squash my head with it. Her hammer was several inches away from my face as it suddenly stopped. I blinked in surprise and observed the paladin, wondering why she had stopped. I recognized that she was frozen. Someone had pierced his or her massive blade through the paladin's upper body from behind. The person pulled the skewered human back and flung her to the ground. I could tell, without looking closely at the human, that she was clearly dead.

I looked at my rescuer and saw that it was Selania who was giving me an arrogant and annoyed look. "Pathetic" she whispered and walked past me, refusing to look at me. She didn't even help me up. I stood up and checked my surroundings. A few humans were running towards me, their weapons raised. A finished them quickly with a combination of a frost nova and a large explosive ice-ball which shot deadly spikes at these humans. Each of these humans was killed and raised by me.

I walked a few feet and only stopped when I heard the quiet whimper of a woman. I turned around and spotted a young woman. She was a priest apprentice, judging by the robes she was wearing. She was kneeling next to the corpse of a man, her brother or her lover probably. It seemed that the dead person had meant a lot to her. Her eyes were reddened because she was crying, tears ran down her cheeks and her bottom lip trembled. She lifted her head slowly and looked at me with terrified eyes. Her eyes widened when she recognized me.

"Lady Proudmoore? Is that really you? By the old gods... What had they done to you?" she asked, her voice was so low and weak that it was hard to understand her.

"The same thing they will do to you. They will raise you as a member of the Scourge but unlike me, you will have no freedoms or personality. You will become a mindless servant and serve the Scourge until the end of your days or until someone releases you from your suffering" I answered coldly, not carrying that my response terrified her even more.

"Please, spare me. I don't want to die. I have a family. I have a little child who is waiting for my return. She had already lost her father. I'm everything she has left" the woman cried and got on her knees, begging me to spare her. I didn't want to kill her, I didn't want to make a nameless child to an orphan but I had no other choice. Being a member of the Scourge meant that you weren't allowed to show any weaknesses. Mercy belonged to one of the many intolerable weaknesses. I knew that the Lich King was watching me from his throne. Selania was also standing behind me and watched over me.

"What are you waiting for? Finish her" Selania demanded with a strict voice.

"No, please don't" the woman cried and crawled to Selania begging her to spare her. Selania spat at her and gave her a powerful punch in the face. The woman fell to the ground, blood flowed out of her broken nose and spread over the white snow.

"Have mercy" the woman cried as Selania hit her over and over again with such brutality until she stopped crying. Only quiet sobs were hearable from the beaten woman who crawled over the ground.

"What are you waiting for? Kill her, Proudmoore. "

"I'm sorry" I whispered so quietly that only the woman heard it. I pierced an ice-splinter through her heart, killing her immediately. I shook my head in guilty as I looked at her corpse before I raised her.

"You shouldn't have beaten the shit out of her. She was a defenceless woman" I said and stared at the death knight who looked at me with no signs of regret for her actions.

"Mercy is weakness. Mercy is the first step to failure. Next time finish her immediately and stop thinking about her or her backstory. We don't care if someone has a family or not. We kill them and we raise them. She will meet her daughter soon when we are done with Azeroth" she responded emotionless and pointed at the male corpse next to the freshly risen priest. I cast a simple necromancy spell and raised the corpse. The corpse stood up, took his weapon and rushed towards the nearest defender, taking him down with the help of three ghouls.

"Are you happy now?" I asked and observed Selania.

"No, not really. First of all, I had to save your useless ass from this human captain and then I had to tell you to kill our enemies. The Lich King may be pleased with your actions, he may trust you but that doesn't mean that I like or trust you. Don't think, only because the Lich King prefers you, that you are better than me" she hissed and walked past me, shoving me aside violently. I nearly fell to the ground but I managed to hold tightly on a post next to me.

I would like to ram this post through her upper body and sent her to the hell where she belongs but I knew that this would really displease the Lich King. One day, I will make her pay for the way she treats me every day. She will wish that she would never have mistreated me. But until that day will come, I have to ignore her as best as I could and get along with her mistreating.

I checked my surroundings and noticed that most of my troops had reached the top of the small mountain and were battling the last survivors. I followed the path to the top, ignoring the screams and shouts from the survivors who tried hard to hold out against the superior number of my forces.

What I saw first, when I reached the top, were a few necromancers and spellcasters who did their best to save as many of the burning corpses, which were spread all over the ground, as possible. A few dozen survivors, mostly paladins, were surrounded by hundreds of undead creatures. They did their best to fight back against their attackers, they even managed to kill a large number of them with the help of the light but they were still heavily outnumbered by our army.

I stepped closer to the circle of ghouls and paved my way to the innermost circle. I regarded the survivors. Their leader was a man at the age of fifty who was carrying a halberd. His armour was damaged, his creased skin was covered by semi-dried blood and he was wounded. I spotted several biting and stabbing wounds which were spread all over his body. Next to him stood a young woman with a crossbow who looked similar to him, his daughter probably. A snarl escaped the woman's lips when she spotted me.

"THE LICH KING'S WHORE FINALLY DARES TO JOIN THE BATTLE. I WILL MAKE SURE THAT SHE WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO LEAD THE TROOPS OF THIS BASTARD AGAINST THE LIVING" she screamed and pointed her loaded crossbow at me. She fired but the bolt never reached me. One of our mages froze the bolt in flight before it would have gotten close to me. He destroyed the little ice block which contained the bolt. The woman snarled and was about to reload the bow as I hit her with an arcane shot before, she was able to fire again.

"Teresa! Are you okay my dear?" the old leader shouted when he rushed to his daughter and helped her to get up. Unfortunately, my spell hadn't been strong enough to kill her. At least it had hurt her and had caused a yawning wound in her torso. The man looked at me, his eyes glowed furiously. He would leap on me and would love to kill me if he would have the change but the expression, he was giving me, also told me that he knew that he wouldn't be able to do that. Not when dozens of ghouls would surround me and protect me and serve as a living shield.

It surprised me that his daughter was still able to stand although her entire upper body was covered with her blood.

"Whore" she hissed and reached out for her crossbow but I threw it away with the use of arcane magic before she was able to do something.

"Aren't you going to beg for mercy?" I asked with a provocative voice and stared at the leader and his daughter.

"Never" he hissed and lifted his halberd, hacking a ghoul, who was dumb enough to approach the defenders alone, in two pieces.

"So, what are you doing now? Do you want to defend your ridiculous daughter? Are you hoping that she will survive this battle? Then I have to disappoint you. No one will survive against the might of the Scourge" I responded and continued to regard them with a slightly amused smile on my lips. I wasn't really enjoying this, I was just pretending that I was enjoying this to please Selania, hoping she would harass me less when she thinks what I have become a merciless person.

The man was silent for a few moments, then he spoke "I don't care if I die today but please spare my daughter. She is everything I have left and my only child. You would obliterate my entire family if you kill her too".

"Do you think we care about your meaningless family? Besides, your family won't be obliterated. You will become loyal servants of the Scourge and your family will continue to exist under our reign" shouted Selania and stepped closer to the survivors, her swords were raised.

"I would rather see my family obliterated than serving you forever" the man spat out and tightened the grip around the handle of his halberd. He gritted his teeth, his eyes were narrowed and his hands were shaking but he was still holding his weapon tightly enough so that it wouldn't drop out of his hands.

"We may die today but we will take as many of you bastards with us as we can. We will never volunteer to serve the Scourge. We may die today but the living will avenge us and send the Lich King to the hell where he belongs" the old man shouted and motivated his soldiers with his little speech.

"Yes, let's show these undead freaks what we are really capable of" a man shouted and loaded his bow.

 _Fools. You have lost all of your mages. You wouldn't be able to burn enough of us with the few torches you have left. At the end of the day, we will have more servants than we had lost during the past days. We will be victorious once again and you won't be able to change anything. The Lich King will triumph and nobody will be able to stop us_ I thought and cast a frost nova, freezing the feet of almost a dozen soldiers to the ground. Sharp ice splinters rained down on them and hurt them. Five of these soldiers died immediately, the rest were taken down by the ghouls who had charged at them.

The living fought hard and even managed to kill a few dozens of our servants but they weren't able to burn many of them because our spellcasters had extinguished the flames of their torches. The living fell against our army. The necromancers raised the killed ghouls and did the same with the freshly killed defenders.

I sent a group of our fastest ghouls and flying beasts to check the surrounding for survivors while groups of normal ghouls checked the base for living creatures who tried to hide away from us. They returned after a few hours with a couple of survivors. Each of them was killed and raised by our necromancers. They didn't even spare the younglings. Each living, no matter of gender, age and health, was turned and became a servant of the Lich King. Every mortal creature was doomed to become a member of the Scourge sooner or later. They will find out soon enough that there will be no escape from their inevitable fate.

_ Lich King's POV _

I was sitting on my throne, as usual, I was watching everything from above. I had watched the siege of the Argent Vanguard for the entire five days Jaina had needed to conquer it in my name. She had been faster than I had expected and she had lost fewer troops. She was a very good strategist, I had to say. She made me proud, she had proved that my trust in her was not misplaced. I had already known long time ago that she will become a useful tool, a useful weapon to defeat the living, to break them and to subdue them. Together with Jaina, I will be victorious and rule over Azeroth.

I smiled when I thought about her, about the night we had spent. The way how her body had reacted to mine, the shiver of excitement which had rushed over her body when I had pressed her against the wall and had thrust my hips against her. All of these moments still stuck in my mind and didn't want to disappear. I didn't know why they refused to leave my mind. The memories of the nights with Selania mostly faded after a few days. I had no feelings for Selania and I could tell that I was only abusing her. Jaina, on the other hand, was different... I couldn't explain what I was feeling for her and why I was having these feelings but my mind told me to take care of this woman and don't let her go.

Frostmourne, on the other hand, was telling me to be careful and observe this woman closely. I always listened to Frostmourne's whispering and advices. Frostmourne was never wrong. It had guided me over the past years and had always shown me the right way.

But this time, I was showing a little amount of doubt towards Frostmourne's advice. I knew Frostmourne didn't trust her because she had left me when I had needed her the most but I was pretty sure that this would never happen again. This time, Jaina will be loyal and serve me forever. She will become my queen if she continued to prove worthy. She will have to fulfil a special task to prove her loyalty to me. I was pretty sure that she will pass this last test which will take place in a few months.

I turned my attention towards the creature who had arrived through the teleporter. It was Kel'Thuzad, my most powerful and most loyal servant. His skeletal shape glide over the floor, producing no sounds.

"Hello, Kel what is bringing you to me? Shouldn't you be busy with refilling Naxxramas and making it to an impregnable fortress?" I asked and observed the Lich.

He lifted his hands a little and responded "I have already done that. I have bolstered it with the strongest minions, who aren't stationed in Icecrown. So, I have fulfilled my task"

"Good. I'm glad that these so-called heroes hadn't been able to really defeat you"

"As long as they don't find my phylactery, nobody will able to really kill me, master" he responded and giggled which sounded like the noise of a dying horse. For most humans, it would be unbearable to hear but for me, as the Lich King, as a former death knight, it didn't affect me. I didn't respond to him, instead, I was just staring at him with a passive expression on my face.

"What will we do next? Miss Proudmoore has managed to conquer the Argent Vanguard as expected. That means that we have all areas in Icecrown back under our control" spoke Kel'Thuzad with his deep and grim voice.

"We will drive the ship of the Alliance and the Horde out of Icecrown. Then we will take the other territories in Northrend under our control" I responded.

"With which shall we begin?

"I want to begin with Dalaran and then with the Wyrmrest temple. Let's see if Lady Proudmoore is capable of attacking her former friends, colleagues and teachers. You will keep the Dragon Queen and her henchmen busy as long as Lady Proudmoore needs to conquer the flying city" I told.

"Are you sure that we should give such an important mission to an ordinary Lich?" asked Kel'Thuzad. Neither his glowing eyes nor his voice showed it but I was pretty sure that he was doubting my decision.

"She is a very capable mage and she is no ordinary lich. She is a Frost Lich, a very special lich which extraordinary powers. Her bones wouldn't be covered by flesh if she would be an ordinary lich. She will conquer Dalaran. I'm pretty sure about that" I responded and regarded Kel'Thuzad with narrowed eyes. I could have sworn that he had whispered something like 'I know the exact reason why she had kept her body'.

I ignored his reference to the special moment I had shared with Jaina weeks ago. "She will lead the attack. Did I express myself clearly enough?" I hissed through gritted teeth and looked furiously at the lich who trembled because of my slight outburst. Nobody dares to question my decisions, Kel'Thuzad also wasn't allowed to express doubt, although he was my most loyal servant.

"Clear enough, my master" he responded and bowed to me. I waved my hand, signalizing him that he was dismissed. He left the platform without hesitation, giving me the opportunity to think about my future plans for Azeroth and for Jaina Proudmoore.


	4. A duel and a new friend

_ Jaina's POV _

Today, I was spending my free time in the training area, practicing a few new spell rotations against target dummies and abominations. The necromancers raised the abominations and other undead creatures immediately after I slew them so that I could keep practicing on them. My spell rotations worked pretty well against them, I took them down quickly, meaning I was more than prepared to fight against Sylvanas' Forsaken. I even did well with fighting against the huge giants in the gigantic halls of the citadel. Of course, I needed to cast more abilities to take them down but they were no match for me. I was proud of myself, in life, I wouldn't have been able to take such a monstrosity down alone. Becoming undead had given me enough power and stamina to deal with such threats alone.

I continued my training for a while, taking down hundreds of undead creatures over the time. My body tensed up as soon as I noticed the presence of a certain person. Of course, it was no other than Selania who was watching me while I was practicing on a few dummies. I didn't show that her presence annoyed me and slightly distracted me. I still hit my targets without missing any of these dummies but I still noticed that I felt uncomfortable and less focused when she was around.

I turned around and stared at her. She was leaning against a large column, her arms were crossed in front of her chest, her chin was lifted a bit as if she would give me a contemptuous look. I raised an eyebrow and gave her a questioning look, then I turned around and continued to work on these dummies. Selania started moving to me, stopping a few meters away from me.

"You do pretty well against these defenceless dummies. You could be so proud of yourself" she said with a sarcastic tone.

"Well, I managed to take out of these gigantic monstrosities in the halls alone. I would say that I'm really satisfied with myself" I responded, ignoring her piercing gaze.

"Do you want to test your _skills_ against a real opponent?" she asked.

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about a duel between you and me" she responded and continued to stare at me with her piercing blue eyes.

"Where and when?"

"Here and now"

"Do you want to prove something or why do you offer me this opportunity to kick your ass?" I asked with a slight provocative tone in my voice.

She laughed which sounded like the noises a dying animal was making. "As if you would ever be able to beat me, Proudwhore" she responded. My eyes narrowed, I pressed my lips together to a thin line as I stared at her. I was more than just offended by her comment.

"Don't underestimate me"

"I'm not underestimating you. I have seen you fighting, Proudwhore. You almost got killed by two humans if someone hadn't saved your worthless life. First of all, I had to save you from a captain of the Argent Vanguard and then one of our mages had saved you from the bolt of the crossbow. You are weak. You are a shame for the Scourge. You are not worthy to be treated so specially by our master. You are nothing" she spoke while she walked circles around me, regarding me closely.

"At least I'm not someone who flings oneself at our master like a common whore" I responded and stared at her. She made a step forward and asked, "What did you say?", through gritted teeth.

"You should have heard me if your ears work correctly" I responded and looked around. I noticed that a few necromancers and mages were looking at us frightened as if they would fear Selania's possible reaction.

"Say that again and I make sure that nothing of you is left when I'm done with you" she hissed and drew her swords from her back. I made a large step backwards and asked "What should I repeat? The part with that your ears don't work correctly or that you are a common whore?"

"Grrh, you will regret having insulted me" she hissed and charged at me. I jumped backwards and avoided her first attempt which made her even angrier than she already was. I cast an ice-barrier which wrapped up around my body like a frost armour, hoping it would protect me well enough against Selania's massive swords. I sent two frostbolts at the same time at her but she blocked both of them with her weapons. Even hitting her frontally with a fireball didn't cause a lot of damage.

I found out soon enough that her armour was well resistant to magic, same counted for her swords. That meant that I had a very bad starting position but that wouldn't stop me from giving my best. The worst that could happen would be that she would beat the shit out of me. Right?

She rushed to me once again and tried to hit me with her sharp blades but I managed to teleport away and appear about twenty meters away from her. I focused my power with the help of my staff and sent huge arcane missiles, seven in total, at her. She blocked and avoided three of them, the others hit her. Unfortunately, this ability hadn't caused the expected results. Selania wasn't hurt, just her armour was slightly damaged.

"Nice try" she hissed and leaped directly in front of me, sending me, with a forceful kick, to the ground. I rolled away, avoided the strike of her swords and teleported away. I knew I shouldn't use the instant teleportation too often because it would cost me a lot of my stamina with each use. But I had no other choice because I knew that getting hit by one of these swords would be devastating for me. My armour wasn't strong enough to block such a forceful strike, neither have I seen any armour which would hold out more than one hit of these two death bringers.

I created volcanic hot flames between my fingers and formed a very large pyroblast out of them. I threw the blast at Selania, hoping it would hit her and keep her away from me. Unfortunately, Selania dodged the pyroblast and charged with such incredible speed at me that I wasn't able to react. She smashed her elbow in my face, causing that I staggered backwards. She didn't hesitate and attacked me again, the sharp edge of one of her blades touched my left hip, leaving a deep and yawning wound behind which extended from my hip to the spot beneath my breast.

I flinched and teleported backwards, spending a large portion of my left stamina. I ignored the wound and cast the next spell, a massive arcane explosion. Selania had come close to me in meantime, causing that I had to let the explosion happen in my near. Selania and I were flung away and landed hard on the ground. Fortunately, the explosion had hurt her more than it had hurt me. Her armour was damaged, parts of her skin poked through small holes in the corselet, deep and long cracks were visible in her armour.

"You will pay for that, bitch" she hissed. A loud roar escaped her lips, her eyes and her body started to glow in a dark and fearsome red colour. It looked like an aura which was wrapped around her body. The aura was not the only change which happened to her, she also became larger and a lot stronger.

I could sense that her aura had become stronger too and felt even more fearsome than it already had. I created a frost nova beneath her feet, hoping it would freeze her to the ground and make her unable to dodge my attacks.

To my surprise, the spell didn't affect her, meaning she could run through the ice-field on the ground as if it would be nothing. I backed off and shot fire spells and arcane blast at her but a barely visible spell shield absorbed all of my spells.

She reached me within a few seconds and rammed her elbow in my stomach. I was lucky that she didn't attack me with her swords because that would mean that she would cut me into little pieces. She threw me to the ground and smashed her blades into the floor next to my face. The tips of her swords pierced through the floor with ease. She sat down on my stomach and started to hit me with her gauntleted fists, causing several wounds out of which a black liquid flowed out. The liquid resembled blood which had once run through my veins when I had been alive. She hit me over and over again until my lips and my cheeks burst open. She only stopped when my entire face was covered by this black liquid.

She was still sitting on my upper body, a satisfied smile appeared on her lips. She regarded me for a moment and stood up. I thought she would go away, now where she was done with me but she stayed and didn't stop to hurt me. She executed forceful kicks in my stomach and hit me over and over again with her feet. The necromancers walked to her and tried to drag her away but she shook them off and pushed them on the ground. She hit me with a very forceful kick and bent down, lowering her head until her lips came close to my ear.

"I hope this was an instructive lesson for you, Proudwhore. The next time where you provoke me, I won't hesitate to end you. I don't care if the Lich King sees something in you. If you keep overestimating our rank, then I will bring you back to earth and remind you about your real rank. Do you understand me?" spoke Selania with a very self-aware and arrogant voice. Her eyes rested on me and observed my broken features with pleasure. She stood up and lashed out again with her foot before she walked away and left the training room.

The necromancers didn't hesitate and rushed to me as soon as she out of sight. They helped me up and took care of my wounds, 'healing' them as best as possible. It took nearly an hour until all my wounds were treated. I felt broken, my pride had been shattered into millions of little pieces. I had thought that I could keep up with Selania. I had thought that I could defend my honour and my name by defeating her in a duel. I had thought I could impress the Lich King by beating one of his strongest servants but my expectations hadn't come to reality, instead, I had been destroyed by Selania. She could have killed me so easily. She hated me, she could have ended my life but she hadn't. Probably because she knew that I was important for the Lich King's plans.

She had threatened me to kill me next time when I insult her again. I believed that she wouldn't do that because she knew that the Lich King needed me for his plans. But I was pretty sure that would beat me nearly to death next time. I shouldn't insult her again.

The necromancers brought me to my room because I didn't feel in the mood right now to move or do anything on my own. They laid me on my bed and made sure that I was alright before the left my room and closed the door behind them. I laid there for a while, not doing anything at all. I didn't think about anything either. I just laid there and stared at the ceiling. I didn't know how long I had been staring before I had finally gotten up. I could have stared for hours, for days, even for weeks. I didn't care at all.

Living as an undeath had cost my sense of time. There was no orientation like a constant sleep rhythm, nor did the sun go up and down in Icecrown so it was hard to guess which time of day it was. It felt like I had laid on my bed for a few minutes but I was pretty sure that I had been longer in my room than I had wanted.

I walked out of my room and spotted a few necromancers who were standing in front of my room. I could tell that they were worried about me as if the Lich King had threatened to kill them if something would happen to me. One of them walked to me and asked worried "Lady Proudmoore are you okay?"

I didn't know. Was I okay? I didn't feel very good after Selania had beaten the shit out of me but I had to admit that I had felt much worse in life at some points of time.

"I'm fine" I responded, still not knowing if I was saying the truth or not.

"Are you sure? Commander Wildreaper really has caused some serious wounds to you. We may have healed them but we can't heal emotional pain. I should tell the master about your encounter with her. It's unacceptable that she had hurt you so much although you were already defeated. The master should punish her or at least threaten her" the young woman said and was about to turn around and walk through the corridor which would lead to the Lich King's chamber.

"No" I answered. The women looked back at me, her face showed heavy surprise. "You don't need to tell him. I'm pretty sure that he already knows. I'm pretty sure that he has watched the duel from his throne. Nobody needs to tell him what had happened. That's not necessary"

"As you wish Lady Proudmoore. Tell us if you need something" she spoke and bowed to me.

"I will" I said and walked along the corridor. I walked around a corner and stumbled into Kel'Thuzad. The books he had held in his hand fell to the ground. He was making an angry face as he picked his books up.

"Be careful where you are walking, Proudmoore" he hissed and observed his books.

"Sorry" I spoke quietly.

"The Lich King has selected you to plan and lead the attack on Dalaran"

Dalaran? Was he serious? Does he really want to tell me that the Lich King wants me to attack the city in which I had studied for years? Dalaran had always been my one of my most favourite places and was like a second home for me. I had spent a lot of time there, studying magic, learning from the great Archmage Antonidas and other powerful mages. I had started learning magic at the age of a young teenage girl and I had still lived in that city before I had been killed. I was asking myself if this was another test or if the Lich King was doing this on purpose to punish me for some reason.

"Why should I lead the attack on such an important target? I don't have much experience in leading armies into battles. Why has the Lich King selected me instead of Commander Wildreaper?" I asked and looked at the lich, my eyebrows were raised.

"The Lich King thinks that you are capable of such an important mission. You have impressed him with your glorious victory over the Argent Vanguard. He thinks that you would be the ideal leader for this attack because you know a lot about Dalaran and its secrets" he explained. I noticed that he refused to look at me, instead, he was regarding his books. 'What is wrong with him' I asked myself but found no fitting answer for the question.

"You had worked longer for the Kirin Tor than I had. Wouldn't it be better that you lead the attack? Your plan to poison the citizens of Lordaeron with the plague and turn them into undead servants was well thought out and brilliantly executed. You would be a better candidate for this mission"

"That's true. It would be better if I take care of such an important mission. It would be better if someone with experience would plan and lead this attack, not a novice like you" he hissed.

Novice? Had he really insulted me as an inexperienced novice? I had been an Archmage of the Kirin Tor before I became a member of a Scourge. I had been powerful and highly respected among the mortals. I couldn't believe that this stupid lich, who had betrayed the Kirin Tor and had joined the Scourge on his own will, dared to insult me.

ME.

The mighty Frost Lich Jaina.

I would like to tear his stupid skull off his body if we wouldn't be one the same side. I didn't show that I was really furious with him. Instead, I looked at him and gave him a polite expression.

"I will give you the information I know about the Kirin Tor. Before you plan the attack, of course. Meet me in my chamber this afternoon and I will tell you everything I know about the secrets of the Kirin Tor" he spoke and started to move around the corner towards the other end of the corridor from which I had come.

"When will the attack happen?" I asked.

"In three weeks. This should keep you busy enough. Do me a favour and don't mess it up" he spoke, his voice sounded arrogant. He didn't look at me, nor did he say goodbye before he disappeared out of my sight. Once again, a large amount of rage filled me up but I managed to ignore it. I calmed down by thinking of the memories of the good Arthas, which still stuck in my mind. I closed my eyes for a moment and walked along the corridor.

_Trust me Kel'Thuzad. I won't disappoint you or the Lich King. I will show everyone what I'm really capable of. One day, you will be laying at my feet and beg for forgiveness. As soon as the Lich King accept me as his queen, you will beg for your worthless life. Trust me Kel'Thuzad, I will never forget how you will treat me or in this case mistreat me. Same counts for you Selania_ I thought while I walked to my destination: The huge library of Icecrown Citadel.

I reached the library and didn't hesitate to enter it. The library was larger than I had expected. It was larger than any other library I had seen before, even larger than the famous library of Dalaran. I guessed that at least one thousand shelves, filled to the brim with books, stood in this room.

I walked to the sector which contained the most books about necromancy and dark magic. I observed the shelves, reading over the titles quickly. I took a few promising books and walked to the nearest table. I sat down on a chair and opened the books, skimming through the index. The first book contained a few interesting ancient, powerful but also deadly spells. Most of them caused that the user would cause injuries to himself, which was a fair requirement for such powerful spells. I read a chapter about a spell which was capable of killing almost every creature in a certain radius around the user. I read the paragraphs where it was explained how to cast this spell a few times until I had saved them in my memory.

I skimmed through more books, memorizing a lot of these forbidden spells, knowing they could be useful for me during the next battle. I spent more than five hours in that library before I decided to stand up and walk towards the exist. Unfortunately, I saw the young mage, who came around the corner of a shelf, too late, and walked into her. We collided and fell to the ground, our books landed on top of us. I couldn't believe that this was the second time where I collided with someone. Today was not my day. First, Selania had beaten the shit out of me and now I keep walking into random persons.

I stood up and rubbed the back of my head, glancing down at the young woman. She might have been in her twenties when she had been turned. Unlike most of the servants of the Scourge, her body didn't show any signs of decay. She looked very fresh and it seemed that a spell lasted on her which should protect her body from decaying. She had short pale-green hair, a cute face with an ugly scar running over her left cheek. I had to admit that she was really beautiful for an undead person. She was not the classic beauty like Selania or like me but she was a very cute person - If servants of the Scourge could be called as cute.

She was still sitting on the floor, not realizing what had happened. I stretched out my hand, offering to help her up. She took my hand and thanked me after I had drawn her to her feet. She observed me for a moment and bowed to me, excusing herself for having walked into me and having sent me to the ground, as soon as she recognized who I was. She lowered her head in guilt, not daring to look at me.

I giggled amused which sounded like the opening of a cracking door. She flinched and put her hands over her ears. It seemed that she wasn't used to these sounds. I guessed that she had risen only a few days ago. She excused herself one more time and looked at me full of respect.

"You don't need to be sorry. It was my mistake not yours" I said and tried to look in her eyes, which turned out to be a challenge because she preferred to stare at the floor.

"You know you can look at me. Nobody is going to kill you because you are just looking at me"

"I'm sorry Miss Proudmoore. Most of the necromancers and death knights told me to not look at them, not until I proved myself worthy" she responded with a shy and high-pitched voice. Unlike most members of the Scourge, she seemed to be very friendly and polite.

"You can look at me without needing to prove anything" I replied and gave her a small smile.

"Thank you Miss Proudmoore" she said and bowed to me once again.

"It's Jaina. You can call me Jaina if you want. We don't need to be so formal"

"Thank you, Jaina"

"No problem. Who are you?" I asked curiously and stared into the mage's beautiful eyes. Her eye colour was very odd and rare at the same time. Most servants of the Scourge either had blue or dark-red eyes. But this woman was special. This woman had dark purple eyes.

"Er, my name had been Vissia Leafdancer in life. I have renamed myself in Vissia Shadowdancer after I was raised" she responded shyly. Vissia. Vissia Leafdancer... that sounded like a night elf. Now I recognized her long ears which I had overseen for some reason. Her eyes had the form of a typical night elf. I had never seen an undead night elf before, I only had seen undead high elves. There were significant differences between living night elves and living blood elves or high elves but as undead servants, both races had the same look.

"It's nice to meet you. I have to say that your eyes are very beautiful, they have a very special colour"

"Thank you" she replied shyly. I could swear that she was blushing or at least she would have blushed if she would have been alive. She was scratching the tip of her left feet nervously over the carpet. I was wondering why she was so nervous. Maybe it was her nature or she just got easily intimidated by others. I found myself staring at her with a small smile on my lips. We didn't say anything. She continued to stare at the floor while I regarded her.

We were silent for a few minutes until she looked up at me with a shy expression on her face. She broke the silence by saying "You also have beautiful eyes. Everything about you is beautiful". The last sentence was quieter than the first, almost a whisper. She was flustered but didn't break the eye contact with me. I cleared my throat and brought her out of the trance. She blinked a few times and looked nervously at her feet. Her cheeks reddened as she recognized that I had noticed her staring.

"So, Vissia what are you doing here? I'm sure you came to this place because you are looking for something"

"Well, I was looking for useful books for mages. I wanted to learn how to use arcane magic" she answered and observed the shelf next to us.

"You don't need to look for books. I could teach you if you want" I offered and smiled when I recognized that her eyes lightened up.

"Seriously? Would you really do that? That would be awesome" she exclaimed and nearly hugged me but hesitated at the last moment.

"I have to plan a very important mission but I won't spend twenty-four hours on planning. So, I guess I could spare a few hours every day for training you" I responded.

Her eyes lightened up once again, her lips formed a wide and cheerful smile. She stepped to me, this time she hugged me deeply and didn't let me go for the next five minutes. I cleared my throat and looked at the ceiling, my cheeks reddened a little.

"Er, you can let me go now" I said quietly.

"Oh, of course. I'm so sorry Miss Proudmoore, eh I meant Jaina. I'm so sorry"

"You don't need to be sorry. Everything is alright" I responded and giggled. She nodded cheerfully. I had to say that this girl was impressing me. I admired her cheerfulness and innocence. I had never seen something who had been happy after being raised as a member of the Scourge. There was something special about this woman, I just couldn't tell what It was exactly.

"I have to attend an important meeting with Master Kel'Thuzad. I guess I will see you in a few hours" I said.

She nodded and told me the exact location of her room, then she thanked me once again. I said goodbye to her and walked out of the library with my books under my arm.

* * *

"So, to summarize what you have told me, we could expect that the Kirin Tor had created a powerful mana barrier around their floating city which should protect them against our gargoyles, flying nerubians and dragons. It also prevents our mages from teleporting directly into the city. So, we can't attack it from the air but we also can't send our troops to it" I statemented and looked at the lich who was laughing and giggling evilly. It was an understatement that his personality was really annoying me. He still didn't believe that I would be capable of conquering such an important and highly protected city.

"In other words, it would be impossible to capture Dalaran for a weak mage like you" he responded spitefully. I gritted my teeth, once again I would love to obliterate him but I knew I couldn't because the Lich King still needed his services.

"Actually, there is a way to achieve victory over Dalaran" I statemented and continued to look at Kel'Thuzad who was giving me a doubting glare.

"I could use my hearthstone which is still bound to Runeweaver Square. I could disguise myself as my former self and look out for the crystal which keeps the barrier intact" I responded. A wide smile appeared on my lips when I recognized the surprise in Kel'Thuzad's face. It was a mystery for me how the features of his skull could distort and show emotions. His silence was my pleasure. He gritted his teeth and whispered "Argh, you are right"

"And?" I asked with a provocative tone.

"I haven't expected that you would conceive such a brilliant idea" he hissed and looked away, not wanting to see my triumphing grin.

"I'm not as useless as you had thought" I almost sang and stepped closer to him, my lips were still forming a wide grin.

"Fine, you are not useless but remember that most people think that you are dead. They would rush to you and probably touch you, at least the mages you were close to would do that. The chance that they could notice the illusion is very high. They would arrest you as soon as they would recognize that you belong to us" he said in a warning tone.

"Then my illusion must be perfect. I would suggest that you would help me with that spell. I know that you would like to see me fail but that would also mean that the Lich King would be furious, especially when he finds out that you had refused to help me" I statemented and watched Kel'Thuzad as he gave his best to not explode out of anger. I knew exactly how far I could go to make him furious but also make sure that he wouldn't lose his temper and attack me.

"Fine" he hissed. "I will help you. Meet me when you have planned everything. I will make sure that nobody will notice your disguise. Now go and don't dare to come earlier to me"

"Thanks, Kel" I responded provocatively and walked out of his room, closing the door behind me. His curses were still hearable even after I had walked to the end of the very long corridor. I had to admit that it was really funny to annoy the lich until he nearly loses his temper. I wouldn't dare to make fun of Selania because she would hit me no matter what the Lich King would say about it. Kel'Thuzad, on the other hand, wouldn't dare to hit me, the former lover and current favourite champion of the Lich King. I was sure that Selania knew that she wasn't allowed to hit me either but the Lich King seemed to tolerate her behaviour towards me because this filthy whore was sleeping with him.

I found myself in the area where Vissia's chamber was. I walked along the corridor until I reached the room with the number 1337. I knocked at her door, hearing slight footsteps in her room. The door was unlocked pretty soon and the head of the shy night elf poked through the small slit. Vissia opened the door fully as soon as she recognized me, making a shy gesture to invite me to come in. I gave her a thankful smile and entered her room.

I had expected that her room would have been sparsely furnished, like most of the rooms of the servants of the Scourge who had a personality and an intact brain. But the room was the very opposite of my expectation. It was colourfully furnished. The furniture was made out of ancient wood from the night elf lands. The floor and the walls were decorated by the furs of tigers, lions and bears.

I was wondering where she got all of these expensive decorations. I didn't believe that the Lich King had allowed her to get her stuff from her village in her homeland. I didn't believe either that she had earned enough money, within the few weeks where she was working for us, to finance such an expensive set of decoration articles. I had seen a few chambers of a few night elves before and this room looked similar to a room of a night elf with a high military rank. All in all, I had to say that this room was very beautiful. Expensive but beautiful.

"Nice room you have there" I commented and walked to the nearest chair, taking a seat on it.

"Thank you" she responded shyly and took a seat opposite of me.

"I'm glad that you have agreed to teach me, Miss Jaina" she said and handed me a cup of tea. I stared at the cup, then at her and then back at the cup before I looked at her again.

"Er, you know that we, the servants of the Scourge, don't need to eat or drink, right?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh right, that was the force of habit. Sooorry" she said with flushed red cheeks. I gave her a small smirk as I placed the cup on the little table in front of me.

"By the way, you should call me just Jaina. I have already told you that"

"Yes, indeed. You did. Sorry" she responded shyly.

"You don't have to be sorry and excuse yourself all the time. Just calm down a bit and everything is going to be fine. You don't need to be nervous. I haven't seen such a lively undead creature like you before. You are really surprising me. Most freshly raised undead creatures are grouchy, sad and pitiful. But you are different. You are the exact opposite and if I wouldn't know that you were dead, I would think that you are still alive. You are a very special person, Vissia" I spoked.

"Yeah, Master Kel'Thuzad already mentioned that I'm annoying him and that he is refusing to teach me because of my behaviour. I'm so glad that you want to teach me" she responded with a small smile on her lips.

"Speaking of teaching, before we start with your training in arcane magic, I want to see what you are capable of in general. I would suggest that you follow me to the training area and practice a bit on the target dummies" I said and stood up. She nodded and stood up too, rushing to the door. She opened it, waited until I had walked out of her room, then she closed the door behind us and locked it.

I guided her to the training area because she didn't seem to know where it was. We arrived in the area and looked for a few dummies which were standing close to each other and weren't claimed by someone else. Vissia showed me her typical spell rotations on a single target then she did the same with multiple targets. I had to admit that she was doing well for a young mage. If I would compare her current level to my level, before the Lich King had killed me and had made me stronger, I would say that she was almost as good as I had been once when my heart had still beaten in my chest.

She had a few problems with frost magic but she was a very strong fire mage which was also a problem because we didn't want to burn the bodies of our enemies.

"You are doing well but fire wouldn't help you against our enemies because we want to raise them after we have killed them. Fighting them with fire would mean that you would accidentally burn a lot of them which would be bad for us. Try to focus on frost magic and arcane magic as soon as I have taught you in it" I told.

"Oh, yes. You are right, burning our enemies with fire wouldn't please the master. I should use frost magic instead but as you have seen, I have my struggles with it"

"That's not a problem. For some mages, using fire is easier than arcane or frost. There are also mages who can handle ice better than fire or arcane. Not to mention the ones who focus on arcane magic"

"And you?"

"What do you mean?" I asked confused.

"Which specialization do you prefer?"

"I like all three sources of power but I prefer using frost magic. After the Lich King made me into this, my frost magic became even stronger than it already was. Well, we live in an icy hell, using frost magic only benefits us"

"Yes, that makes a lot of sense. Northrend is a very special continent. It would be a shame if a mage wouldn't be able to learn frost magic in such a frosty place" Vissia responded.

I nodded and asked her to show me each frost spell she had mastered. She showed me a lot of spells. She knew the basics and a lot of complicated and powerful frost spells but she didn't know as many spells as I knew. I spent the next two weeks to teach her the other complicated but powerful frost spells she was lacking. We trained for three hours every day. I used the rest of these days for my own training and for the planning of the attack on Dalaran.

Within these two weeks, she managed to learn these spells and use them without spending too much of her stamina(mana). I needed three weeks to taught her the basics of arcane magic. She was a fast learner, most of the mages at her age would have needed three months to learn the basic spells and spells of mean strength.

In the meantime, where I had trained Vissia, I had worked on my plan for conquering Dalaran. Now, it was fully developed. I will use my hearthstone, which was still able to teleport me to Dalaran. The mages of the flying city hoped that I would return to them one day, that's why they hadn't created a barrier against teleportation by hearthstones, as far as I know. It seemed that they didn't believe that I was really dead. They seemed to think that the reports were fake because they didn't believe that I would have been so stupid to try to speak to the Lich King again. They couldn't know that I had been that stupid and had tried it.

The hearthstone was my only opportunity to conquer Dalaran. A few mages and necromancers will sneak in the city as soon as I have deactivated the magical barrier. The dragons will buy them enough time to open enough portals so that our army could invade Dalaran. If everything happens as I have planned, Dalaran will belong to us on the same day. Now, I only need to meet with Kel'Thuzad and work on an illusion which will disguise me so that nobody would be able to recognize my real appearance.

Dalaran will belong to us, like the rest of Azeroth if the Lich King's plans will be successful.

IF


	5. Dalaran

_Jaina's POV_

"This doesn't look as bad as I had thought. Actually, this illusion looks very realistic" I statemented and regarded my reflection in the mirror. I looked exactly like my former self before the Lich King had turned me to what I was now. I looked young and beautiful, with golden hair reaching to my shoulders. My skin had the natural colour of a human and felt warm again. I was wearing the violet robes of an archmage of the Kirin Tor. Even my magical staff looked different, it looked like the staff I had used before my death.

I turned around and regarded Kel'Thuzad who was smiling, which was a rare sight. Normally the lich was looking dismal and angry but today he seemed to be in a joyful and cheerful mood. I gave him a barely visible, slight smile and made a step towards him.

"Don't forget to put the invisible spell on yourself" he reminded me.

"Yeah, yeah. You don't need to tell me twice"

"When will you go to Dalaran?" he asked curiously, his icy blue eyes stared into mine.

"Now"

"Really? Are you sure that you have considered everything and every possibility?"

"Yes, Kel'Thuzad. I'm pretty sure that my plan will work"

"Hopefully. I don't care if you fail on a normal mission but this mission is very important for us" he said strict, trying to scare me - without success.

"Don't worry, I won't fail" I responded.

"Good. I will see you sooner or later" he responded and walked out of my room.

I didn't hesitate and cast a very powerful and long-lasting invisible spell on me. I made sure that I was really invisible before I fished my hearthstone out of my old bag. I regarded the white stone with the blue glowing rune for a moment. closed my eyes and concentrated my thoughts on Dalaran while I caressed the rune with my index finger carefully. I opened my eyes a few moments later and noticed that I was no longer standing in my room.

I was standing in front of a fountain which was decorated with golden statues. Two statues looked like orc warriors and two other statues looked like humans. These statues stood in the water and surrounded the fountain as if they would protect it. On top of the fountain stood another golden statue which portrayed Tirion Fordring, who was holding Ashbringer in the air.

I was pretty sure that the Alliance already knew what had happened to him. Ashbringer was just too easy to recognize even when it was corrupted. I was sure that they already knew that he belonged to us. I, on the other hand, could only be recognized when people were close to me. Nobody could recognize me from afar so no hidden spy should have recognized me, meaning that nobody should know that I was a member of the Scourge. I thought that at least. It was possible that the Alliance already knew about my fate, but this chance was pretty low.

I looked around and noticed a few humans, dwarves and elves standing around the fountain or sitting on benches. It was an odd feeling to be in Dalaran again. I once had spent a lot of time in this city and I couldn't deny that I missed being there. Studying, experimenting with magic or meeting new people had always been fun. I remembered the lessons under my master Archmage Antonidas and the countless study meetings with Kael'thas Sunstrider.

Of course, we had only met as friends and colleagues. I knew that he had had a crush on me back then but I had never returned his feelings because I had fallen for Arthas. I was still hoping that I could get my Arthas back one day. Conquering Dalaran would be a large step to gain the Lich King's full trust. Sooner or later, I will be able to meet him more often and hopefully find a way to reach the good Arthas.

I followed the small path to one of the gigantic archways of Runeweaver Square. This square was named after the former ruler of Dalaran Ansirem Runeweaver. I knew that he lived in the near of the crater which had been caused when the mages of the Kirin Tor had moved Dalaran out of Lordaeron to Crystalsong Forest in middle of Northrend. He had insisted to stay behind and had made Rhonin Redhair to his successor. I didn't know why he had insisted on staying in Lordaeron, nor did I know if he was still alive.

I followed the course of the street which was crowded with mages, traders and visitors. The numerous people made it really difficult for me to move without accidentally running into someone. My camouflage would be noticed immediately as soon as someone would collide with me. That's why I walked along the sides of the streets were the chances, to walk into someone, were a lot lower than chances to walk into someone in the middle of the street. Somehow, I managed to arrive in front of the Violet Citadel without getting noticed.

The Violet Citadel was a very, very large tower, which was decorated by many smaller turrets, made out of a white, magic resistant material. I couldn't say how large it was exactly but I was pretty sure that it would compete against Icecrown Citadel.

This citadel was the place where the council of the Kirin Tor met and discussed politics like the way of proceeding against us. The great library of Dalaran was also in this building. I couldn't wait to have access to the entire knowledge of the Kirin Tor. Even as a former Archmage, I hadn't been able to read all books. A small percentage of these millions of books were forbidden for the Archmages, mostly because they contained forgotten knowledge about forbidden techniques. My goal was to read these forbidden books as soon as Dalaran belongs to us.

I regarded the citadel for the last time before I decided to move on. Fortunately, the stairs which would lead to the building's entrance were almost empty. I climbed these stairs and entered the building.

I spotted a familiar person in the middle of the entrance hall. It was no other than Rhonin Redhair, archmage of the Kirin Tor and current ruler of Dalaran. He was wearing an outfit which looked like a mix between a paladin armour and robes of an archmage. He carried his long and powerful red wand in right hand which colour fitted perfectly to the colour of his hair and beard.

Next to him stood his wife Vereesa Windrunner. The high elf had silver coloured hair and wore a blue and white tunic with matching leggings. Except for her skin and eye colour, she almost looked identically to her older sister, the leader of the Forsaken Sylvanas Windrunner.

I had been close to her in life, I even had considered her as one of my closest friends. We had spent a lot of time together, had laughed together and had talked sometimes about typical topics for women like men and fashion. Most of the time, we had talked about politics and how to deal with the Scourge. She had tried to convince me to not go to Icecrown Citadel but I hadn't listened to her. If only I had...

It was too late to change things. It was too late for regrets. I had to accomplish a mission. I regarded the couple for a few moments before I sneaked past them, hoping that Rhonin wouldn't notice the presence of aura. Fortunately, he didn't notice me because he was busy with talking to Vereesa about their kids.

It took a while for me to locate the crystal which maintained the barrier around Dalaran. It was in a hidden room, guarded by five mages who made sure that nobody would touch the crystal. I should have no problem with them.

I observed them for a few minutes. None of them seemed to have noticed my presence, as I had expected. I killed the first two mages with an arcane explosion. The third recognized me and shouted my name after my invisible spell had expired. He asking me what I was doing but I ignored him and shot an arcane explosion at him. He was thrown away and collided with the nearest wall. He landed hard on the ground and didn't move, meaning that he was either dead or unconsciousness.

The last mages turned around and started to cast spells. I wrapped a spell-absorbing barrier around myself which blocked both of their spells. I knocked the first one out and countered the spell of the second mage. Then I sent a hail of sharp little ice-splinters at the mage, killing him quickly. I raised them and commanded them to stay guard and walk to me as soon as they spot an enemy. Their hoods were pulled over their faces so that no citizen of Dalaran would notice, from afar, that they are undead creatures, which was a very big advantage.

I turned my attention to the crystal which was hovering over a small altar. The crystal had a slight green colour and was glowing heavily. I studied it for a few minutes, figuring out how I would deactivate it. I used a few variants but none of them worked at first. Finally, after half an hour, the glowing of the crystal became weaker until the glow completely faded. I made sure that it could never be used again to create such a barrier, by destroying it.

_Perfect_

I checked my surroundings one more time. Nothing had changed at all, the five undead mages were staying at their spots and watched out for intruders. The necromantic spell, l had used on them had been so strong that they were even able to cast spells. If an ordinary necromancer would have raised them, they wouldn't have been able to use magic. But I was no ordinary necromancer or mage. Kel'Thuzad had trained me, he may not believe in my skills and value for the Scourge but he still had taught me everything he knew about necromancy. Thanks to the powerful spell, they were able to fight on their own and help me out during my mission. Their first task was to help me creating a portal

We created a large portal together which should hold out for at least two hours. In life, such a portal, even with the help of other mages, would have cost a large portion of my mana. The advantage of being dead was that I had used less mana than I would have used in life for such a huge and long-lasting portal. It had cost only a sixth of my mana. I wouldn't be a mighty Frost Lich if I wouldn't be able to regenerate the spent amount of mana. The more people I kill or raise, the more mana I get back. Especially killing and turning mages restored a large amount of mana. I was sure that I would restore the spent amount of mana very quickly

I watched a few dozen members of the Cult of the Damned walking through the portal, a few mages came out of it right after them. The mages wrapped invisible spells around us before we continued with my plan. The necromancers and the mages will spread in the city and create more portals in hidden and hardly visited places. Our army will come through these portals and conquer Dalaran quickly. Dalaran had only about three thousand citizens, only a small percentage of them were mages or fighters. Conquering the city should be easy and shouldn't require as many servants as we had used for the sieges of the Shadow Vault and the Argent Vanguard.

A satisfied smile appeared on my lips when I walked out of the room and followed the long corridor to the entrance hall of the Violet Citadel. Rhonin was still standing in the middle of the hall and was still talking with his wife. This time they talked about politics and us (the Scourge).

_If only they knew that we are in their city. They will find out soon enough what will be awaiting them_

Two other members of the council of the Kirin Tor were standing in this room. An older woman with grey hair, I recognized as Archmage Modera, and a blood elf, who wore a grey and full body armour and a tabard which was coloured in red and gold. His name was Aethas Sunreaver. They were just standing in a corner of the hall and were talking quietly, not wanting to interrupt the discussion between Rhonin and Vereesa. I regarded my once best friend one more time before I walked out of the Violet Citadel.

I watched with pleasure as the people in the streets and were talking about the little shapes in the sky which were coming closer. They couldn't know that frost wyrms, flying nerubians and gargoyles were coming for them. They couldn't know either that this city will soon be invaded by undead creatures. I still felt bad that these citizens, my former colleagues, teachers, friends and other people have to die. On the other hand, death was a gift. Nobody had to waste money or time for meaningless activities like eating or sleeping. Being undead also means living forever as long nobody kills you. Even if that happens, the person could still be revived by a necromancer.

The Lich King will give all living beings the gift to live forever. He will make sure that they won't need to care about safety anymore because nobody will threaten them while the Lich King rules over Azeroth. No race will hate each other and no wars will happen under the Lich King's reign. Of course, such a gift also had an expensive price. Pain or the loosing of one's individually were unavoidable. In the end, everyone will live together in one nation, in the one and only undead nation under the Lich King's reign.

I could walk to the canalization and summon more portals there but I decided to stay in front of the Violet Citadel and regarded the flustered citizens, with pleasure. The shapes in the sky came closer. The citizens broke out in panic when they noticed that our air support was coming closer and no barrier was holding them back.

The mages cried out in shock, wondering why the barrier had disappeared. I saw a mage running towards the citadel. I was sure that he wanted to inform Rhonin but there was no need for it because Rhonin came out of the citadel after he had heard the screams of the citizens. His mouth was widely opened, his eyes were widened in shock as he spotted the frost wyrms who had reached the border of the city at this moment. Vereesa stepped next to him, asking him what was happening. She was standing next to me, I could touch her if I want but that would mean that my invisible spell would expire. Like her husband, she was staring at the sky and observed the situation in shock.

The first few gargoyles dove in the streets and picked up random citizens, lifting them in the air and carrying in a very high height. Eventually dropping them later. The frost wyrms shot icy flames at the separated mages who sent fireballs and other flame techniques at them. The flames, which normally were very effective against such undead dragons, were not strong enough to seriously harm them.

Rhonin cried out commands to inform every mage and capable fighter and bring the citizens to safety. He raised his wand and created a fireball which consumed a gargoyle who had tried to pick up a young man. The gargoyle made a painful cry before it died and turned to ashes. Rhonin sent another fireball at a flying nerubian. The spell wasn't enough to kill the creature but it seriously hurt it and forced it to land on the ground. Vereesa didn't hesitate and shot an arrow which pierced through the nerubian's head and killed it immediately. Rhonin looked at his wife and told her to seek out for safety but she insisted on staying by his side.

I didn't know why I was standing there and watched Rhonin taking down my troops. Perhaps, I was just waiting for the right moment to strike. A group of fifty ghouls came out of the Underbelly, the catacombs beneath the Violet Citadel. Rhonin watched in horror as these ghouls charged at the defenceless citizens and attacked them, killed them or at least seriously hurt them. He was busy with another gargoyle at this moment so he wasn't able to help the citizens immediately. With the help of his wife, he managed to take the gargoyle down. He turned around and faced the group of ghouls, preparing a fire spell which should burn as many ghouls as possible. Unfortunately for him, this spell didn't work because I countered it.

Rhonin turned around and looked at me shortly after I had become visible. Vereesa's eyes showed confusion as she recognized me, of course, she saw my living appearance because of the illusion which still disguised my true form.

"Jaina! You are alive... By the Sunwell...I don't understand this. Where did you come from so suddenly? I saw no portal or signs of an instant teleportation" Vereesa asked and studied me. I didn't respond, instead, I cast a quick spell on Rhonin. The arcane shot hit him in the chest and forced him to stumble backwards. He fell over the banister and landed hard on the ground next to the stairs.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING? HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?" cried out Vereesa and lifted her bow, aiming at me. Still, I didn't respond, only a small smirk appeared on my lips. I made a step forward, she responded to my move and made a step backwards.

"Jaina, what the fuck... What are you doing?" she asked, still confused about my sudden appearance and my actions. I didn't need to turn around to know that Rhonin was standing at the foot of the stairs. He had lifted one hand, a small flame kindled above it, the other hand gripped his wand tightly.

"Jaina, explain what is going on or we have to consider you as an illusion, a ploy our enemy uses to trick us" Rhonin shouted and climbed the first steps of the long stairs.

"I'm real" I responded and dissolved the illusion, revealing my true form. The corner of my mouth twisted to a small smile when I recognized Vereesa's blue eyes which were widened in shock. She held her hand in front of her widely opened mouth, her breath stopped for a moment. I heard a shocked gasp from Rhonin and I almost felt his piercing gaze on me.

"By the Sunwell... What happened to you Jaina? What did this bastard do to you? Not only has he murdered my dear sister... He has also slain my best friend. I swear that this bastard will pay for his crimes" Vereesa hissed, tears were forming in her eyes.

"Give up Jaina. You don't need to fight for this bastard. Give up and we will find a way to free you out of his control" Rhonin shouted. I turned my head enough to see that he had already formed a fireball between his fingers.

"We can help you, my dear Jaina" Vereesa said, her voice told me that she was self-confident that she could help me but her eyes spoke against her statement. Her eyes showed doubt, worry and fear. She was fearing me. Vereesa, my once best friend who had looked up to me and had admired me secretly, was now fearing me and seeing me as a threat. Not only had the Lich King taken my life, but he had also taken the connections to my friends with it. I was struggling, I didn't want to make the next step but the Lich King's voice roared in my head and told me to proceed.

I closed my eyes for a moment and opened again, only to see that Vereesa had lowered her bow and offered me her hand. She wasn't saying anything but her expression told me that I could trust her, that she would try to help me although she was fearing me.

I stared at her hand, not knowing what to do. I recognized that Rhonin was now standing directly behind me, observing me with shock and curiosity written in his face. I took Vereesa's hand and she pulled me in a tight embrace. I felt her warm skin against mine, which was an odd and unknown feeling. She wrapped her arms around me and kept hugging me although she was shivering because of the cold which was radiated by my body.

"I'm sorry" I whispered. Vereesa's eyes widened but, before she was able to do anything, I had rammed a sharp ice-splinter in her right hip. The splinter had pierced through her armour and flesh with ease. Half of it stuck in her body the other half was exposed. A line of blood flowed out of her mouth and stuck on her chin. Rhonin cried out in horror and anger as I pushed Vereesa to the ground and turned around. I duck beneath the strike of his wand and landed a forceful kick in his stomach. I hit him with a frostbolt at point-blank range. A painful cry escaped his lips as he staggered backward and fell the stairs down to the very end.

I cast my next spell but Rhonin managed to counter it although he should be feeling an indescribable amount of pain. Somehow, he managed to get up and sent a fireball at me. He was tougher than I had expected. I jumped over the banister and landed on the, with fresh green grass covered, ground. I tried to hit Rhonin with an arcane shot but he managed to dodge it. I counter the next spell he was casting, also causing that he would be unable to cast any spell in the next few seconds.

This should give me the opportunity to defeat him but I hadn't counted with Vereesa. I had thought that she would remain on the ground but instead, she had managed to get up and had shot an arrow at me. The arrow pierced through my right shoulder. I cried out and turned around, my eyes were giving her a furious look as I performed an arcane spell and threw her away. She was pushed over the other banister and landed on the ground next to the other side of the stairs. I pulled the arrow out as fast as possible.

I turned around and noticed that Rhonin was able to cast again. I had thought that my counterspell would last longer on him. Indeed, he was really tough.

"Vereesa, take the kids and get them and yourself to safety" shouted Rhonin and sent a powerful arcane shot at me. I wrapped a barrier around my body but it was not strong enough to block the entire damaged done by the blast. A weakened version of the original spell hit me and pushed me against the wall of the nearest building. Rhonin always had been a stronger mage than me when I had been alive. I recognized that he had become a lot stronger over the past months, but I couldn't explain how. Fortunately, death had made me stronger, meaning that we were equally strong at this moment.

We fought against each other, managing to injure the other with serious wounds. Mine weren't mortal. Rhonin knew that he couldn't win against me without killing me which would also mean his death because he wouldn't have enough mana left to fight the undead creatures which were close to him. I knew I couldn't kill him either because had way too much experience in fighting against other mages, especially against mages of the Scourge.

"We will meet again Jaina, next time I will release you from your suffering" he spoke when he noticed that a group of ghouls and skeleton were getting closer to him.

My response was self-confident but also cocky "Who had mentioned that I am suffering? Actually, I'm enjoying this"

"You can't be serious"

"Maybe, that was not true, at least not everything but I have no other choice than serving the Lich King"

"We always have a choice. You just have to believe in yourself and find a way to get out of the Lich King's control" Rhonin responded and started to cast a spell.

"Even if I have a choice, I have sworn to serve Arthas until the end of my days"

"You are a fool if you still believe that the good Arthas still exists in the Lich King. The love of your life is dead, really dead. However, cruel it may sound, it's the truth. You have to accept that Arthas is gone. You can't save him but you can save these citizens by calling back the Lich King's servants. Please, Jaina. Save these people" he said, his voice was filled with many emotions. He tried hard to reach me, the good part of me which still existed in me. He couldn't know that this part was buried beneath thick layers of infusible ice. He couldn't know that his attempts didn't reach that part of me, didn't reach the good Jaina.

"I'm sorry" I responded and prepared a spell. He stopped his cast and prepared another spell instead. A quick teleportation. I could have interrupted his spell but somehow, I didn't. I could have stopped him and froze him to the ground so that the ghouls would deal with him but I didn't. Instead, I threw an ice-blast at his direction, he disappeared at the last moment, meaning that the ice-blast hit and killed a ghoul instead. I couldn't believe that I have done. I couldn't explain why I have done that. I had spared him for some reason.

Kel'Thuzad won't be pleased. The ghouls, on the other hand, didn't care at all, they weren't surprised that Rhonin had disappeared. They didn't even seem to have recognized his disappearing. Instead of wondering, they continued to do the only thing they were got at, hurting and killing the living.

Dalaran fell within three hours. Our mages had told me that the members of the Kirin Tor Council had managed to evacuate about a third of Dalaran's citizens, which were about one thousand people, out of Dalaran before they had been forced to leave the flying city. The others citizens became victims of the hundreds of thousand undead creatures which ravaged through the city and killed everyone they found. The necromancers raised those, whose bodies hadn't been burned, into mindless servants. I made sure that everything was alright and no living creature was left in the city.

Kel'Thuzad arrived an hour later. He had the task to make Dalaran to an important base and bring its numerous books, which contained ancient knowledge, to the library in Icecrown Citadel.

I created a portal to Icecrown Citadel and walked through it. The first person I saw, was Vissia who stood in front of my room. Her face lightened up at the moment where she saw me. She rushed to me and would have hugged me if I wouldn't have made a small step to the side.

"I'm so glad that you make it back in one piece. I was so worried about you" she said and stared at me as if her time to look at me was limited.

"I haven't planned on dying so quickly. You could assume that I won't be defeated by these mortals, as long as they don't send their strongest heroes" I responded and gave her a small smile.

I was wondering why she was so worried about me. The members of the Scourge didn't really care if I stayed alive or not. At least Kel'Thuzad and Selania didn't care about me. The Lich King, on the other hand, expected that I wouldn't lose against the mortal and would serve him forever. This woman was the only member of the Scourge who really cared about me. The other servants like the necromancer who had treated my wounds after the duel against Selania, just cared for me because they were scared of the Lich King's wrath. They feared that he would do something to them if something would happen to me. The reason why Vissia cared for me was not to make sure that the Lich King was pleased. She cared for me because of another reason which I couldn't figure out at this moment.

"I'm pretty sure that no mortal would be able to defeat you alone. You are way too powerful for them" she said. Now I recognized why she was caring for me. She was admiring me. I was wondering how much she was admiring me. I was pretty sure that I will find that out sooner or later.

"I'm glad that there is at least someone who really cares about me and my condition. I'm glad that I found a friend in this miserable place. Means getting through suffering in this dismal place would be a lot easier" I responded and looked at her, noticing that she was blushing a little.

"We are friends... Oh, that's great" she said. I could have sworn that I had noticed a small amount of disappointment in her voice. I was wondering why.

"I haven't chosen you as my student because I need an activity to kill the time. I chose you because I like you and believe that you have great potential to become a very powerful mage and a valuable fighter for the Scourge. We need mages who have such a huge potential like you" I told, noticing that she was blushing even more than before. She looked so cute while she was doing that, it seemed that she wasn't used to achieving compliments. Maybe because she had been an underrated mage in life. Maybe her people hadn't seen the same potential in her. I was pretty sure that I can make her really powerful. She will become a very important character of the Scourge in the near future. I was pretty sure about that.

"I really enjoy our lessons. When will we have our next lesson?" she asked and looked at me full of expectation.

"Why not right now?" I asked.

"Don't you need to rest? I'm sure you are really exhausted after such a mission.

"Nah, not really. You forget that we are dead, that means we don't get exhausted so quickly as mortals do. I'm pretty sure that I can hold out for a few days before I consider taking a quick rest in my room" I explained.

"Good then let's go to the training area" she announced happily and rushed towards the training area. I regarded her for a short moment before I followed her quickly. I had to say that this woman was really impressing me. I wouldn't be so energetic and happy if I would live in such a place. This woman was very optimistic and cheerful although she was surrounded by death all the time. This woman was really special and somehow, I couldn't stop thinking about her.

* * *

I was walking through the corridors of the first level of Icecrown Citadel, not knowing what to do. Normally, I would either train Vissia or work on my own magic but Vissia was on a mission and I didn't feel in the mood to train.

I couldn't deny that I was a little worried about Vissia. I wouldn't say that she wasn't ready for a mission but I was worried that she would do something rashly which could cost her life. She had become very powerful over the last few months but she was lacking experience in fighting against mortals and she was also lacking in strategy. I had told Selania that she wasn't ready but that stupid bitch hadn't listened to me as she had assigned her for a spying mission on the Wyrmwrest Temple and the area around it.

Her mission had started a week ago and would take at least one month. Hopefully, she wouldn't get detected. It would be a shame to lose a mage with such a potential, not to mention that she was my only real friend in this miserable place. We had gotten closer over the past months and had spent a lot of time together outside of our training sessions. I enjoyed spending time with her. Next time, I will prepare her better for such important missions. I would have prepared her for the mission if I would have heard of it earlier. I could only hope that she would make it.

I walked for a while through the corridors of the different levels in the citadel, still not knowing what to do. I spotted Selania who was having an annoyed expression on her face and was walking straight into me intentionally, knocking me to the ground.

"Watch out where you are walking, Proudwhore" she hissed aggressively and stared down at me, not wanting to help me up. I was wondering what was wrong with her this time. Her behaviour towards me hadn't changed at all over the past months. She seemed to dislike me more with each successful result I was scoring for the Scourge. I had become more and more important for the Lich King which seemed to annoy her.

I stood up and looked at her with narrowed eyes, expecting that she would insult me again.

"The master wants to see you" she hissed and stared at me with furious eyes.

"Okay" I responded and turned around. I was about to walk towards the next teleporting platform which would bring me to the top of the citadel as Selania put a strong hand on my shoulder and turned me around so that I was forced to look at her.

"No" she hissed through gritted teeth. The master wants you to come to his private chamber". A smile appeared on my lips when my ears recognized her last sentence. Now, I knew why she was so pissed. The Lich King had chosen me to satisfy his desires instead of her. I could understand her. I would have been upset too if he would have chosen her instead of me. I gave her a triumphing and cocky smile. Her eyes narrowed and she looked away, not wanting to see me smiling in this way.

"Now go, he is getting impatient" she hissed and moved away from me.

I kept smiling while I was walking through the corridor which led me to the Lich King's chamber. I arrived in front of the massive door and knocked at it. The door opened automatically and I stepped in.

I noticed that Arthas had furnished his chamber similarly to the room in which he once had lived in Lordaeron, only the colours were different. Instead of walls which were made out of marble and decorated with painted golden symbols and other kinds of decorations, the room had dark blue walls which were decorated by skulls, the symbol of the Scourge and other symbols which portrayed death and violence. What surprised me was that furniture, like wardrobes, tables, chairs or shelves stood in this room. I was wondering why the wardrobes and shelves were in his room because they were empty, meaning he didn't need them at all.

In the middle of the room stood his king-sized bed but it made up and empty. I frowned and looked out for the Lich King. I found Arthas standing on his balcony, watching over the frozen wasteland of Icecrown. It was odd to see him without his helmet. His back was turned to me so that I wasn't able to see his face, I was only able to see his long, ash-white hair which reached to his shoulders. He didn't turn around although he knew that I was in his room. He just stood there and looked out.

I walked to him slowly, wondering what he was thinking. I reached him and placed a hand on his shoulder. He turned around and looked at me. My eyes widened when I saw his face. I had never seen it since he had attacked Dalaran, more than ten years ago. His facial features hadn't changed at all. His skin was still very pale and white as chalk. His eyes glowed fearsomely blue, telling me that the Lich King was still in control. His lips were as pale as the rest of his face. I had to admit that he looked still handsome in his own way. Not as handsome as he had been in life, with his natural skin colour, his beautiful golden hair and his natural blue coloured eye, but still handsome enough.

A smile appeared on his lips when his hungry eyes rushed over my face to my half-exposed body parts. He pulled off one of his gauntlets and dropped it on the floor. He caressed my left cheek softly, his cold touch still felt alien to me. He turned me around and kissed my neck softly, his not-gauntleted hand stroked my belly softly while his other hand took off my clothes slowly. There was no love in his kisses and touches, only lust, desire and need. I didn't help him with undressing myself, I just stood there and let him do whatever he wanted to do.

I stood there, behind the railing of the balcony and regarded the wasteland of Northrend. My body shivered in excitement and quiet moans came out of my mouth as he explored my body with his greedy hands. Half of my other body was bent over the railing when Arthas took me from behind as an animal would do with his mate. We shared no love during these moments but we shared pleasure, satisfaction and we fulfilled each other desires. Both of us needed this.

Last time, he had only taken me from behind. This time he turned around and even looked straight into my eyes when he continued to bump his hips against mine. There was no love in his eyes, only desire. I wrapped my arms around his neck and even found myself leaving kisses on his neck. I didn't know why I did that. Maybe I was marking him because I wanted to frustrate Selania. I smiled as I imagined Selania getting angry when she would join him next time and would see these marks.

I didn't know how long we had shared pleasure because I had lost the track of time but I was pretty sure that our not-love-making had lasted at least for a few hours. I had expected him to throw me out immediately like he would have done with Selania. This time, he didn't command me to leave, which was odd.

Instead, he seemed to allow me to stay in his room. I watched him getting dressed again and walk to his balcony. He stood there for a while, not doing anything else except staring at a random spot in the wasteland. Finally, I decided to walk to him. Together, we regarded the area around the citadel for a while until we separated. He stayed in his room while I walked back to my room, thinking about what could have caused this slight change in his behaviour.


	6. A new ally

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains a dialogue with a troll so I have included the troll accident in the speech lines to make the story more accurate. Here are the words ( typical for a troll langue) which I have changed. Hopefully, you won't get confused.
> 
> to -> ta  
> you -> ya  
> your -> ya'  
> these -> dese  
> the -> da  
> that -> dat

"What do you mean with 'They got her?" I shouted angrily and looked at Selania who was leaning against a wall.

"They got her. That's what I said. The mortals had spotted her group and slain everyone except her. The dragons have her" explained Selania with an impassive expression on her face. I could swear that she was enjoying my outburst but didn't show it.

"This is all your fault. I had told you that Vissia was not ready for such a mission but you still sent her to such an important and difficult mission"

"What should I say? I thought that the personal student of _the mighty Frost Lich Jaina Proudmoore_ would be capable to carry out a simple scouting mission but it seems that your training wasn't good enough" she responded and stared at me with a scornful smile on her lips.

"Grrh, I have trained her in the use of magic, not how to disguise yourself properly. This mission would have been ideal for a rogue and not for a mage" I said and gave her a furious glare. Her smirk became even wider as she studied my face.

"Well, she is only a normal mage, not a highly important person like me or Kel'Thuzad. Her loss wouldn't be devastating for us"

"First of all, she is my friend and she knows a bit about us and our plans. I'm pretty sure that the dragons will find a way to make her talk"

"I don't care if she is your _friend_ or not and I don't care if she talks. She knows nothing which could be useful for our enemies" she responded coldly and continued to regard me with an amused expression.

I hissed, my furious eyes rested on her. Even the titans wouldn't know how much I hated this woman at this moment. I had never liked her before, especially because she harasses me even more since Arthas had chosen me over her for that night, months ago. Unfortunately, the Lich King seemed to tolerate it for some reason. I would like to smash Selania's face against the wall but that would only end in one way: I would be laying on the ground, covered in my own black blood. That's why I didn't try it. At least, I was pretty good at suppressing my anger and other negative feelings I had for Selania.

"You could try to rescue this meaningless woman on your own. I won't support you, neither will the Lich King do. You can ask him of course but I don't believe that he would let the siege on Wyrmwrest Temple happen earlier. At least, not for an unimportant night elf. You can try to persuade him of course but don't cry if he doesn't accept your request"

I gritted my teeth, trying hard to not insult her which would end in immense pain for me. She had threatened me last time, where I had insulted her, that she would beat the shit out of me and I believed her that she would do that. I repressed my desire to hit her and turned around, walking away as fast as possible.

I followed the long corridor until I reached one of the teleporting platforms. I adjusted it to the correct level and walked through it immediately. I reached the top of Icecrown Citadel and didn't hesitate to walk to the stairs which led to the Frozen Throne. As usual, the Lich King was sitting on top of the throne, Frostmourne in his right hand.

"Lady Proudmoore, I knew that you would come to me as soon as you receive the news about the imprisonment of your dear friend" he said with a slightly amused voice and looked at me, his icy-blue eyes seemed to pierce through me as if he would stare at a spot behind me. Somehow, his gaze felt unpleasant but it ignored it and spoked "Then you know what I want from you, master".

"Indeed, I know that you would do everything to save your only friend. You know that you are messing up my plans with your request, right?"

"Yes, I know but..." I started speaking but he interrupted me.

"You also know that I wouldn't allow such request for anyone else, not even for Kel'Thuzad" he responded.

"I know but I had hoped that you could make an exception for me" I said and looked at him, giving him a small smile and a look full of expectation. I set my foot on the first step, noticing the corner of his lips which formed a wide grin as soon as he recognized what I was about to do. I set my other foot on the third step and walked slowly towards him, not breaking eye contact with him. He spoke, "Hmm, maybe I could do an exception for you. You only need to give me a reason why I should do that", as I reached half of the stairs.

"What do you want from me? " I asked playfully as I stopped in front of him, regarding him.

"I may have something in my mind" he whispered. I smiled when I recognized the desire in his eyes.

"Tell me, master" I said quietly and made a step forward, standing directly in front of him so that he was able to grab my wrist and pull me even closer.

"First of all, I need you to do me a favour" he said and pulled me onto his lap, wrapping an arm around my waist. I gave him a playful grin and leaned in until my face was only a few inches away from his'.

"I have a special mission for you and Commander Wildreaper. I want you to work together. I don't need two important women who hate each other and would let the other die eventually. I want that you get known to each other and trust each other so that you would protect each other in battle. It would be a shame if I would lose one of you because one hesitates to save the other" he explained and took of a gauntlet, rubbing my back. My new dress didn't cover my entire back, making it possible for Arthas to caress my cold skin.

I couldn't tell how this had happened, but over the past months, we had developed some weird form of a relationship. It was not the same relationship we had shared in life, it was not even a relationship based on love. It was only based on power and mortal desires. We didn't kiss. We didn't hold hands. We didn't spend time together as we had done in life. We only met a few times per months to satisfy our sexual desires. I had to say that I was satisfied with this form of a relationship, especially because Arthas was meeting with Selania only one or two times per months. She may be his strongest servant but I was by far his most favourite servant.

He was really satisfied with me and the duties and missions I had done for the Scourge. I had conquered a lot of bases villages and even small territories in his name. Currently, we controlled more than a third of Northrend. We controlled half the territory of Zul'Drak, the entire territory of Crystalsong Forest, half the territory of the Storm Peaks and the entire territory of Coldarra. I had conquered most of Colderra in his name while Selania had led the campaign in Zul'Drak, in the east of Northrend.

"So, what do we have to do, master?" I asked and stared into his eyes.

"Our influence in the Grizzly Hills is only so little. I want to change that"

"What should I do?" I asked curiously and caressed his neck softly.

"I want you to convince the furbolgs and remaining trolls in that area to join us" he told.

"The furbolgs? Are you serious? You want these nasty creatures in our ranks?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, they make good soldiers for the Scourge. They may look more like beasts than humanoid beings but they are very skilled and strong fighters. They would be useful for our campaign to conquer Grizzly Hills. Same count for the trolls"

"So, how do we do that?" I asked.

"It's very simple. Either you find a way to talk to them and convince them to join us or you chose the violent way and kill everyone."

"They wouldn't be able to deny us any request as soon as we would have raised them"

"The trolls shouldn't be a problem either" he whispered and slowly took off my dress.

"When will the attack on the Wyrmrest Temple happen?" I asked.

"In five days"

"And when will mine and Selania's mission start?"

"In three days" he whispered and kissed my round breasts.

"So, I should hurry if I want to attend the siege of the temple of the Life-Binder"

"Yes, you should hurry but don't risk anything. Be patient, I don't think that we would conquer the temple within a few days"

"So, we have a lot of time we can spend together" I statemented.

"Yes, we have" he responded, a wide grin appeared on his lips.

* * *

"I can't believe that the Lich King had ordered me to lead a mission with someone like you" moaned Selania at the same moment where she entered my room without having knocked or asked for permission. I was completely naked at the moment. In life, I would have covered my body immediately with a blanket if someone would have walked in my room while I was unprepared. But since my death, I didn't really care if someone was seeing my nude form, especially not a woman and especially if this woman was Selania.

"Would you at least wear something when I'm talking to you" she hissed and looked at me with narrowed eyes.

"Oh, you were speaking to me? I only heard you complaining about unnecessary bullshit" I responded, not being able to repress my small grin.

"Grrh, don't you dare to provoke me, Proudwhore. Get dressed!"

"Why? Don't you like what you are seeing? I'm pretty sure that you would never be able to see such a beauty like me again, at least not naked" I responded teasingly.

"Don't test my patience Proudwhore" she hissed.

"Fine" I responded quickly and snapped with my fingers. My upper body started to glow in a light blue colour. The glowing spread out until it covered most of my body and transformed to a very beautiful outfit which was a combination of a long white skirt and my typical upper body armour which covered my breasts, my wrists and parts of my belly and back.

"Now, you look less like a filthy whore. Now you just like a common whore"

I ignored her insult, knowing that insulting her back would only result in pain for me. I turned around and started to create a portal. "Are you ready?" I asked and walked towards the portal.

"Ready? You know that we have to wait until our troops are ready, right?" she asked irritated.

"They are ready. I have already sent them to our base in the near of the Drak'Tharon Keep. They are awaiting us" I explained.

"Who had decided that we will start with the trolls?"

"I have decided it, get along with that" I replied cockily and walked through the portal. The portal led me to our base in the north of Grizzly Hills. The base was an abandoned village which had once belonged to the Drakkari troll tribe. As far as I knew, the citizens of that village had been poisoned years ago by necromancers. I had heard that their deaths had been slowly and painfully. In the end, all of them had been raised by the Scourge.

The village was very large, compared to other troll villages I had seen in my life. It had been built on top of a hill and was surrounded by wooden palisades.

I guessed, after checking my surroundings quickly, that about twenty damaged wooden huts stood in that village with very large distances between each other. Unlike Icecrown, the area in Grizzly Hills wasn't covered by snow and ice.

It was the entire opposite of the dull and lifeless Icecrown. The climate there was mild, the sun was shining, plants overgrew the ground and countless large trees existed in this area. All in all, this was a beautiful area. It would have been a nice place to visit for a vacation if there wouldn't happen skirmishes all the time between the furbolgs, the trolls, the mortals and our forces.

I turned around and regarded the gigantic temple, which had once been used to present sacrifices for the gods of the trolls, the so-called loa. I guessed that the temple was about five hundred yards tall, most of the building was covered by ivy and other wild plants.

I turned around and noticed Selania appearing through the portal. I could tell that she was more than just slightly pissed about my behaviour but I didn't care at all. She knew that she had to get along with me as well as possible. She knew that the Lich King would watch over us. She also knew that she wouldn't be able to beat me without getting punished by the Lich King. This was one of the advantages of my weird relationship with him.

She stared at me for a small moment, not knowing what to do. She bit her bottom lip to our team which stood a few meters away from me. The team consisted out of three shamans, four warriors, two mages, seven rogues, eight hunters and six necromancers. All of them were undead.

The Lich King hadn't given us more members because he didn't want to risk that we would attract too much attention. I studied the group members for a few moments. All of them seemed to be very powerful. I was pretty sure that they would be enough to subdue the furbolgs and the trolls.

I walked to a small lookout tower and climbed on top of it, observing the surroundings. I spotted a keep, not far away from our position. It was indescribable tall, massive and its building style was impressive. I had sent spies to the keep yesterday and they had already informed me that only a few guards were stationed in front of the massive door. I noticed that the massive main door was also opened as if the leader of the Drakkari tribe would invite us to come in.

These signs almost screamed after betrayal and ambush but somehow, I had the odd feeling that this was not a trap. I couldn't explain myself why I knew that this was not a trap or an ambush. I didn't know the Drakkari's plans but at least they didn't seem to want to fight us. They could have attacked us much earlier if they were really against us.

But I was also prepared if my sixth sin proved me wrong and the Drakkari would attack us in their fortress. We could also cast an invisible spell on us and try to sneak in but I had the supposition that they had enchanted this place so that the gates would uncover us. If they would be so dumb and try to betray us, they will die and will join us against their will. If not, they can stay alive and still serve us. I didn't really care if these trolls lived or not. As long as they served us, everything was alright.

I had heard about this place which was known as the Drak'Tharon Keep. The Scourge had controlled it years ago before the mortals had freed the trolls out of our servitude. I will make sure that the Drakkari trolls will serve the Scourge once again and this time, they will serve forever.

I walked back to Selania and told her that I was ready. She nodded and signalled the group to follow us. They didn't hesitate and walked with us over the uneven land to the entrance of the Drak'Tharon Keep. We arrived in front of the gate, which was even a lot larger than I had expected. We spotted a few trolls who wore nothing than leather armour which only covered a few parts of their bodies. They carried long spears and huge axes but they didn't want to attack us. We climbed the massive stairs and walked through the gate, still, no troll was stopping us.

The corridor behind the gate was wide, tan and very long. The walls were made out of stones which colour looked similar to bronze. We walked a bit and followed the corridor until we came to a bridge which rose drastically and would bring us to a much higher level. The walls which bordered at the bridge where decorated by a lot of fountains which had the shape of troll heads made out of stone. Out of the mouths of these statues flowed water out which seemed to end in a pool beneath the bridge. There was enough space between the edges of the bridge and the walls so that the water could flow away unhindered.

We walked until we reached the end of the bridge, spotting a large room in front of us. The room was heavily decorated with statues, paintings at the walls and shaman ritual items which hung on these walls. At the end of the room sat a troll on a throne. It was a very tall female with light-blue skin and long platinum-blonde hair. She wore expensive and beautiful purple robes which reminded me of the outfits human priests were usually wearing. Half of her face was covered by tattoos, which looked like symbols of an, for me, unknown language. She was very beautiful for a troll, not that this would matter for me.

She sat on her throne, surrounded by other trolls dressed in formal clothing, probably members of a cult. She gave us a small smile as soon as she noticed us. She lifted her hand a little, signalizing us to come closer. I didn't hesitate and walked forwards, the others followed me. We stopped a few meters away from the throne, looking at the troll full of expectation.

She didn't stand up. She just sat there and regarded us for a few moments before she spoke with an amused voice "Welcome ta ma home ambassadors of da Scourge. I've been waitin' for ya". Her troll accent was unmistakable. Fortunately, to understand her was not that difficult, because her accent was not as bad to understand as the accent of other trolls.

"Really?" Selania asked with an unfriendly tone. I lifted my hand, signalizing her to shut up because I wanted to do the talking.

"What my comrade wanted to say is that she is surprised that you let us pass and didn't even ask for our matters, nor did you attack us. That's... odd" I said and looked at her, trying to figure out what was going on in her mind. I ignored the slightly pissed look, Selania was giving me.

"Well, I already know what ya want from me. Ya want me to join ya" she responded and took a cup of tea offered by a servant. She took a sip and put it on the armrest of her stone throne.

"So, you already know why we are here and you let us pass. Does that mean that you want to work for us?"

"First of all, I want ta know what ya are offerin' me then I will decide if I join ya" she said and looked at Selania. I turned my head a little and noticed that she was almost bursting because of impatience. I guessed that she would have reminded this woman that she could also kill her and her entire tribe if she wouldn't work for us. I was glad that she wasn't saying anything because threatening the troll wouldn't help us.

"I would like to present our offer but first I want to know who I am talking to" I said and stared into the trolls icy-blue eyes.

"My name is Queen Alrei from da clan of da Drakkari" she answered.

"An ice troll. You are the daughter of Ice King Malakk. I'm sorry for the loss of your father. I had heard that he had been murdered years ago by these disgusting mortals" I responded and showed her that I was deeply sorry for her loss.

"Thank ya"

"It's nice to meet you Queen Alrei"

"It's nice ta meet ya too, Lady Proudmoore. Same counts for da famous Commander Wildreaper. I have heard stories about ya two, decimatin' dozens of mortals alone. If da rumours an' stories are right, then I'm very impressed and honoured ta meet ya.

"The stories are correct and we are capable of killing a lot more mortal creatures" Selania responded. I looked at her, giving her a questioning look. She ignored me, avoiding my gaze by looking at the troll queen.

"Then it's an honour ta meet ya two an' da rest of ya' group of course" Alrei concluded.

"Let's talk about why we are here. We offer you territories for your tribe and power if you join us. You don't even need to die to serve us. You can stay alive and live in your new territories after we have conquered Grizzly Hills together. Most important, we would also offer you revenge for the murder of your father. We will make sure that these mortals will pay for their crimes. Together, no one will be able to stop us" I said.

"That's a nice offer. I really like it but why do I need ya' help when I could have my revenge alone, without someone's help?" she asked and observed me.

"Because you don't have enough forces to deal with all mortals in this area. You may be able to kill those who are responsible for the death of your father but the ones who survive would come back with reinforcements and raid your beautiful keep like they had done years ago when your father had ruled over your tribe. The Alliance and the Horde would slaughter every member of your tribe and then they will kill you. Believe me, you won't be able to defend your tribe alone. But with us, you will be able to drive every enemy out of Grizzly Hills" I explained.

Alrei was silent for a few minutes and thought about our offer. She looked at us for a few moments, then at the trolls around her who seemed to be her advisors. They came to her and she leaned forward to exchange a few words with them. They talked for about two minutes then she leaned back against her throne and her advisors stepped away from the throne.

She looked at me while she spoke "I guess ya' offer is good for both of us. Ya will have my assistance for ya' campaign ta conquer da east of Northrend, which includes Grizzly Hills, Zul'Drak an' da Howling Fjord. I will gain more territories in dese three areas while my tribe will survive and be unmatched by other mortals. Now we need ta discuss which areas will belon' ta me"

"Tell me which territories do you want?"

"We want da ancient troll villages back and we want Conquest Hold. We want our original territories in Zul'Drak back which are currently possessed by da humans and other races of da Alliance. We also want a small area in da Howling Fjord" she told.

"We could allow you to build a few villages in the Howling Fjord. The rest should be okay as long as you keep fighting for us in the future"

"My tribe and l will serve you forever. I swear" she responded and stood up, walking over to me and offering me a forearm shake. I didn't hesitate and accepted her offering. Because of the coldness of my skin, I didn't notice that her hand was really cold as it touched my forearm. I stared deep in her eyes, noticing that she was doing the same, a small smile flashed over her features.

"Then the deal is sealed" I statemented and glared at Selania who didn't seem to be pleased that I have led the negotiation with the Drakkari queen alone. I was pretty sure that she wouldn't have tried to negotiate with her. She would have slain every member of the troll tribe and would have raised them afterwards. This would have meant that we wouldn't need to fear that the trolls would betray us. On the other hand, it would also mean that the trolls would try to burn as many corpses, of the ones who would fall in the conflict, as possible. In the end, we would have lost soldiers and would have risked our lives unnecessarily. I was glad it didn't end like this.

"Normally, I would invite my guests ta a grand feast ta celebrate such an important alliance but ya don't need ta eat or drink at all so I would suggest dat we skip dat. If ya don't mind of course" said Alrei after she sat back on her throne.

"We may not need to eat or drink but we still celebrate, at least the ones who have an intact brain and a personality. We don't want you to relinquish your traditions because we can't fully enjoy it. Please have your feast so that we could get known better to each other" I said insistently and looked at queen Alrei, giving her a small smile. I looked at Selania who seemed to be annoyed by me, once again.

If it was up to her, she would have left the Drakkari tribe immediately and would have rushed to the furbolgs. She was a warrior and not a diplomat. Because of many years where I had worked for the Kirin To, where I had tried to solve conflicts between the Alliance and Horde to make them work together against a common enemy, the Scourge, in that case, I knew that it was better to not deny the traditions of the people you want to work with. Celebrating our new alliance would bind them to us and minimize the chance that they would betray us.

The preparation of the feast took less time than I had expected. The trolls had managed to organize a decent feast within two hours which would be held in the largest room of the keep. It almost seemed that they had prepared a lot of the food earlier as if they would have known that we would negotiate with them and would accept their offering for such a feast. That was weird but I ignored the many questions which were formed in my mind. I didn't know if we could fully trust these trolls but their help would be necessary to fight against the living who still had enough forces to challenge us.

I found myself on a seat, next to queen Alrei. I looked around, noticing that we were sitting at the top of a round table. A lot of such tables were spread in that room, about fifty persons were able to sit at such a table. Dozens of plates filled with different kinds of food stood on each of these tables, giving the celebrators a huge and varied selection. Drinks weren't missing, mostly wine, water or juice filled the goblets of the trolls. The trolls were happy, they cheered together with their race members and even with my group members. We talked, laughed and even danced to traditional troll music.

I looked at Selania who was also sitting next to Alrei, looking everything but amused right now. I didn't know why she was so pissed. Maybe because I was the one who had convinced the trolls to join us, not her. Maybe she was pissed because I had chosen the peaceful way instead of the violent way which she would have chosen. Maybe she was pissed because we were attending this, in her opinion, unnecessary celebration instead of negotiating with the furbolgs. I knew that the sooner we are done with this mission, the sooner I can join the assault on Wyrmwrest temple and rescue Vissia. But I also knew that celebrations were important for mortals, especially for orcs and trolls. Not attending them would be unwise.

I talked with Alrei for a while about hobbies, possible strategies, the comparison of being alive and undead and other interesting topics. All in all, she was very friendly and funny for a troll. She wasn't arrogant like most of the trolls I have met over the past years and she didn't seem to be a very violent person unlike most members of the troll race.

While I watched her enjoying the food and drinks, Selania was leaning over to a male undead elf and talked to him quietly. I was wondering what she was talking with him, somehow, I knew that they were talking about me and my way of proceeding.

At this moment, Alrei was busy talking to one of her advisors so I had the time to think. I thought about Vissia, wondering if she was okay. I didn't believe that the dragons would torture her or kill her. I didn't know what they will be doing with her but I was hoping that she was still alive. If someone deserved to get interrogated and mistreated by the living than Selania would deserve it and not Vissia. Vissia did nothing wrong, she just had to get along with her fate and had to follow the will of the Lich King. Selania, on the other hand, tortured, harmed and murdered others for pure joy. The Lich King didn't even need to tell her that she should cause as much pain and destruction as possible because she did it anyway. Vissia only did it because she had no other choice than to obey the Lich King.

I looked at Selania, wondering if we will act like the same during the rest of the mission like we had done earlier. I was wondering if we ever get used to each other and stop hating each other. The Lich King wanted us to stop bitching around and working together instead. I would like to bury the hatchet of war but Selania seemed to didn't want that. She seemed to want to hate me forever.

Maybe I should have included her in the negotiations with the Drakkari. On the other hand, it probably would have ended in a disaster or in a slaughter if she would have been able to speak. I should try to include her in the negotiations with the furbolgs. I don't believe that these bear-manlike creatures would join us of their own free will. I was pretty sure that violence will be necessary to convince the furbolgs to serve us. If someone is very good at being violent and cruel then it was Selania.

I noticed that Selania stood up and walked towards the room's exit. I told Alrei that I would be back soon and stood up, following Selania as fast as possible. She seemed to have noticed that I was coming to her, still, she didn't stop and walked out of the celebration room. I followed her until she stopped in the middle of a long corridor.

She turned around, her eyes studied me. "What is your fucking problem Proudmoore?" she hissed aggressively and stared at me with furious eyes.

At least she didn't call me by this inappropriate nickname.

"I have no problem with you"

"Really? It seems that you do your best to make me look like a useless idiot while you work out a pact with the trolls and give them way too many territories for the Lich King's liking. You haven't even included me in the negotiations with them. I would have granted them fewer territories" she shouted outraged.

"Well, you would have slaughtered them all if you would have been in charge of this mission alone" I whispered quiet enough so that only Selania was hearing it, not wanting that any troll would hear it.

"It would have been the better choice. You cannot trust the living" she responded and looked around, making sure that nobody was in the near of us and could hear us, then she continued. "Something is fishy about this queen. I haven't seen a single tribe which would join us so easily without demanding anything than territories. We have to be careful"

"Your distrust is misplaced. I'm pretty sure we can trust her. She seemed to be an honest person"

"Appearances can be deceptive. Be careful, Proudmoore. You cannot trust trolls, especially not these trolls"

"We will see"

"Do you want to say anything else to me or would you leave me alone?" she asked, her tone was still unfriendly.

"I would suggest that we both will lead the negotiations with the furbolgs. I don't want that we unnecessarily hate each other. I would like to work with you, as the Lich King had ordered us"

"You don't really care about me, nor do you like me. You only try to get closer to me to please the Lich King so that he could fuck your tiny little asshole, you fucking bitch. Why do you want to get along with me now?" she hissed and stepped closer to me. I thought, for the first moment, that she would hit me but she stopped at the last moment after she regained control over herself.

"Well, you were the one who started hating me for absolutely no reason. I was polite and friendly but you have constantly insulted me and mocked me over the past months. And now, you hate me even more because Arthas prefers me, his first love, more than you" I responded and stared in her eyes, not showing any signs of weakness or intimidation.

She gritted her teeth, her furious glare seemed to pierce through me as she did her best to not lose her temper. She bit her bottom lip hard so that it burst and black blood flowed out of it. She wiped the little amount away and turned around, not saying anything when she walked away.

I walked back to the celebration room and sat next to Alrei who had gotten drunk while I was away. Unlike most of the people I had witnessed being drunk, she was still able to speak and act like a sober person but the movement of her eyes and random giggles and laughs over the simplest things proved that she wasn't sober.

Her advisors were worried and advised her to stop drinking. She didn't listen to them and drank more and more until she was not able to walk straight forward anymore. Her advisors excused her and ordered her guards to bring her to her chamber. The guards shook their heads as Alrei muttered something unintelligible. They didn't hesitate and brought her away.

I kept sitting on my seat and talked to a few guests until most of the celebrating persons were gone after almost twenty hours. I got up and walked to the chamber of the queen. The captain of the guards, a large and very muscular male frost troll with only one eye stepped in front of me and told me that the queen needed more rest.

"Tell the queen that I enjoyed the celebration and I would love to visit her before I return to Icecrown. Tell her that I would enjoy working together with her.

"I will" he responded.

"See you soon, Captain"

"See you soon, Lady Proudmoore" he responded and bowed to me. I gave him an appreciating nod and went off in search for Selania.


	7. Troubles

_Lich King's POV_

My lips formed a satisfied smile when I watched over Jaina and her group. Like usual, I was sitting on my throne and regarded everything from there. I was able to see almost everything what happened in Northrend, only a few places weren't visible for me because the mortals covered them with powerful spells. Wyrmwrest Temple was one of them. I had sent a group to investigate the area around the temple because I wanted more information about it before I would attack it.

The scouting group had been killed except for an undead night elf which seemed to be very important to Jaina. I didn't know why the dragons had spared her, I didn't really care if she survives or not but for Jaina, I would rescue her because Jaina because she was important for me.

Currently, my army was besieging Wyrmwrest Temple. The siege had begun two days ago, still, no considerable signs of progress had happened. The dragons defended their temple very well against my army which was led by Tirion Fordring. It would be boring if our victory would be too easy. I expected that the dragon will hold out against my army for a few weeks. I was sure that the battle will be over very quickly as soon as Jaina, Selania and the greatest heroes of Azeroth, I had slain and raised on top of Icecrown Citadel, join.

At this moment, Jaina and her group were sabotaging the Blue Sky Logging Grounds in the north-east of Grizzly Hills. It was not their mission to sabotage the wood production and processing but I was glad that they did that because this would mean that the mortals would have fewer recourses, which they could use to fight us. The logging camp was also on their way to the base of the furbolgs, which made it a perfect target for a small sub-mission.

I watched with pleasure as one of Jaina's sharp ice-splinters pierced through the heart of a dwarf who guarded this place with several other members of the Alliance. Jaina turned around and froze two humans before they had been able to hit her. She shattered the ice blocks around these humans, which meant immediate death for them. Selania, on the other hand, slaughtered everyone who dared to approach her.

My most favourite servants and their group managed to take out every guard and worker of the logging ground. They set the wood and the entire construction on fire before they continued their journey to Grizzlemaw, the capital city of the furbolgs.

I turned my head a little as I noticed the approaching of a familiar person.

"What do you want Kel'Thuzad?" I asked the lich and looked at him interested.

"Nothing really important. I just wanted to know if Proudmoore and Commander Wildreaper are making progress.

"Lady Proudmoore" I corrected.

"What?" asked Kel'Thuzad and looked at me with a confused expression.

"She still has the title of a Lady, so don't leave it out" I said and gave him a look which told him that I was serious about this.

"Alright, are Lady Proudmoore and Commander Wildreaper successful?"

"Yes, they are. They convinced the Drakkari to join us. They even sabotaged an important source of resources on their way to Grizzlemaw" I told.

"So, they destroyed the Blue Sky Logging Grounds? That's perfect" he commented and looked at me satisfied.

"They set it on fire. Soon, it will be completely destroyed"

"That is really important for us"

"Indeed, it is"

"I have to say that I have underestimated Lady Proudmoore. I didn't expect that she would become such a useful tool"

"She is more than a tool... at least for me" I whispered quietly, not knowing to what I was referring to with this statement. Kel'Thuzad didn't seem to have heard it or at least he pretended that he hadn't heard it. He just looked at me as if he was waiting for new orders.

"Are you waiting for something?" I asked.

"No, not at all. There is nothing I could really do right now so I thought that you could give me new instructions, master"

"Hm, you could...You could keep the Green and the Bronze Dragonflights busy. It would be hard to conquer Wyrmwrest Temple when the other Dragon Aspects and their sick children are around"

"As you wish, my master" he said and bowed to me. He turned around, as soon as I had told him that he was dismissed, and walked to the teleporting platform, disappearing through it.

* * *

_Jaina's POV_

We arrived at the capital city of the furbolgs which was larger than I had expected. Basically, it was a gigantic tree trunk which was partly hollowed out so that the humanoid-bears could live in there. The huts of these creatures had been built on different levels which were connected through a spiral staircase which went along the innermost circle of this tree trunk. At the beginning of the staircase, at the very bottom of this trunk, was a little growing tree which was surrounded by water and a little landscape covered by grass and flowers. A few of these furry creatures sat in front of this tree and seemed to pray.

We stood on the first level and regarded these creatures who were observing us suspiciously. These bear-like creatures had brown fur, they were very tall, taller than most of us and they looked pretty strong. They carried spears, axes and bows, looking at us threateningly. But they didn't dare to attack us. I saw it in their eyes that they feared us. They may outnumber us but they feared us so much that they didn't attack us. The furbolgs really loved the nature and its beauty. We were the entire opposite of natural which was a thorn in their eyes and the reason they feared us.

We followed the course of the stairs until we reached the highest level. We spotted a few furbolgs in front of a very large hut. There was this one furbolg which stuck out of this group. It was a taller, elder male with a walking stick. His fur was brown with a slight grey touch. He wore a necklace made out of tiger teeth and he had only one healthy eye. I was pretty sure that he was their leader.

His greeting wasn't polite and sounded more like a threat. "You should know that your kind is not welcome in this land. Wherever you go, you leave death and destruction behind you. We don't want you here. You would like to kill us all. Go away or someone may get hurt"

"Well, it doesn't have to end this way. You could join us and nobody would die, which also means that we don't have to destroy anything" Selania replied self-confident as always and stared at the old leader.

"Is that a threat?" one of the younger furbolgs asked angrily and made a step towards Selania. The older furbolg lifted his walking stick a little, signalizing the young one to shut up.

"My name is Baergar Brownpaw from the Redfang tribe and I tell you this for only one time. We don't want to have the Scourge in our lands, neither we want to deal with you or even join you. Go away as long as we let you pass unscathed.

"We could help you fight against the Frostpaw tribe and you could help us with our campaign. We could help each other and form a powerful alliance" I replied, ignoring his threat.

"As I have said, we don't want to deal with you and we will be able to deal with the Frostpaw tribe on our own. We don't need your help" he responded.

"Yes, we don't need the help of such disgusting creatures like you" the one young said and gave us a dangerous look.

"Disgusting? Look at yourself in the mirror and then tell me again who looks disgusting" hissed Selania and made a step forward. The young one mimicked her action and built himself up in front of her. He was about three heads taller than her but this didn't seem to be enough to intimidate her.

"At least I'm not a corpse fucker like you" he responded.

Ah damn, he shouldn't have said that. I knew that something bad was about to happen because Selania was a very aggressive and violent person. It was so easy to insult her and make her lose her mind.

"Say that again and I will tear your fur from your body. I will skin you alive, you sick animal"

"Broown, don't you dare to attack her. As your father and leader, I order you to..." Baergar started but was not able to finish his sentence because the loud roar of his son interrupted him. His son tried to hit Selania with his massive left paw but she was faster and duck beneath his attack. She didn't hesitate and drew one of her swords from her back and separated his left arm from his body. The furbolg howled out and stumbled backwards, looking at his separated arm in disbelieve and shock. His eyes showed fear and pain but also fury and rage. The furbolgs growled aggressively and charged at Selania.

Selania smiled as she jumped forward and beheaded three of them with one strike. The other six furbolgs stopped in their movement and regarded the bodies of their fallen race members which made loud noises then they dropped to the ground. Broown howled out in anger and was about to charge at Selania again but his father stepped in front of him at the last moment and stopped him from wasting his life. He glared at us, showing us his gritted sharp teeth.

" You killed three members of my tribe and you crippled my only son! Are you happy now?" Baergar shouted and stared at us furiously.

"Not really" responded Selania and gave me a signal. I lifted my staff a little and raised the fallen furbolgs, turning them to our servants. The three headless undead furbolgs stood up and walked to their former tribe members, who looked at them in shock and horror.

"You spawn of pure evil! What are you doing to them? You are dishonouring them and our traditions. You are defiling their corpses and the life in general. Get them Redfangs!" he cried out and tried to pull his son back but Broown resisted him and charged at Selania again, this time she finished him by separated his bear-head from his furry body.

Baergar cried out as he saw the corpse of his son dropping to the ground. Selania didn't hesitate and jumped over the group of furbolgs and landed in front of their leader. She showed no mercy and beheaded Baergar in the next moment. With their leader gone, the furbolgs were still furious but less motivated. They were scared, angry and furious but they were no match for us. We killed all five remaining furbolgs and raised all of them, even those without a head. The other necromancers and I stuck their separated heads back onto their bodies so that they were able to see clearly while they fought for us.

Our actions weren't unnoticed by the other furbolgs in this tree trunk. Loud alarming bells were hearable and hundreds of these furry creatures were rushing towards us from every level. I lifted my wand and performed a quick spell, summoning a massive and very large water elemental. Unlike the water elementals I had summoned in life, it had a different colour. Unlike the bodies of the other water elementals, which colour was similar to the light blue colour of the sky over the Eastern Kingdoms, the body of my elemental had a very dark blue colour.

The water elemental summoned a massive wave of dark water which washed the first wave of incoming furbolgs away. I sent arcane techniques and frost techniques at the second wave while our archers, mages, shamans and other spellcasters fired everything they got at them. The warriors, led by Selania, charged at the second wave and decimated them quickly, this time without needing to behead them. We decimated our way to the lowest level of the base until all members of the Redfang tribe were dead and served us.

I stood in front of the little tree and regarded everything from below. The raised members of the Redfang tribe were spread over the levels and looked down at me, waiting for orders.

"What should we do with this city?" one of the of mages of our group asked.

"Burn it" Selania commanded.

"Please don't do this" a quiet voice said.

I turned around and noticed an elder furbolg. Unlike the dead furbolgs, he had white fur. Behind him stood dozens of furbolgs with the same fur colour.

"I didn't know that the Forstpaw lived so close to the city of the Redfangs that they could reach it within a few hours" I shouted and regarded the elder. Like Baergar, he was carrying a walking stick.

"We came to assist you as soon as our spies told us that you were attacking the Redfangs. Unlike them, we want to cooperate with you" he said.

"How do we know that we can trust you? You could only say that so that we spare you. You could only say that to earn our trust. You could betray us later and attack us"

"We wouldn't have come to you if we don't want to cooperate with you. We could just have left this territory after we had noticed that all Redfangs were gone. We could have looked out for another home instead of trying to cooperate with you but instead, we took the risk and came to you" he spoke and looked at me. His eyes told me that he was an honest person, I knew that appearance can be deceptive but somehow, I trusted him. I knew that the furbolgs were intelligent creatures, he wouldn't risk that his tribe would get slaughtered if he wouldn't want to work with us.

"Why do you want to cooperate with us?" Selania asked. I didn't overlook the mistrust hidden in her voice and in her facial expression, neither did the leader.

"You killed our archenemy, the Redfang tribe. We fought against them for decades for this city, but we never won a battle against them. They were hunting us over the past years, trying to completely annihilate us. You saved us from them. Without them, our families could live in peace while our warriors will be at your service if you chose to work with us"

"You know that we didn't kill them with the intention to rescue you, right?" I asked.

"I know but we are still thankful for your service" the leader answered.

"Why don't you hate us like the Redfang tribe? They called us unnatural and disgusting creatures. They told us that our presence insults the beautiful nature and the life in general. Why don't you share the same mindset?" asked Selania.

"Well, we don't like the undead either but we would do our best to work with you as long as you spare us and let us alive. We will help you with your campaign no matter against which opponent" the elder said.

"That's good to hear. What is your name?" I asked the elder.

"My name is Brenow Snowclaw and I'm the leader of my tribe. These few dozen furbolgs are the only warriors we have. Unfortunately, the Redfangs had killed a lot of our warriors over the past decades. Our families are waiting in a hideout. If you don't mind, we would get them and bring them to this place. We want to live there, that's why I asked you to not burn this city. We don't have a real home nor do we have a lot of supplies. We would be thankful if you would let us live there. Our warriors will fight for you whenever you will need them. As long as you spare and protect us" he told and walked to us, stopping a few feet in front of me.

"Why shouldn't we kill all of you and make you to mindless servants? You wouldn't be able to resist us under our control" asked one of the necromancers.

"Because, with a permanent residence, enough supplies and no rivalling tribe which would threaten us, we could reproduce over the decades and become a very large tribe with a lot more warriors than we have now. We could give your more warriors over the next few decades then you would get now if you kill and raise us all"

"He is right. They would become more useful over the time" I commented and looked at the necromancer and then at Selania, who gave me a small nod.

"Fine, you can live there. We will send a group of ambassadors to you as soon as we need your warriors" I told.

"Thank you" Brenow said and bowed to me. I gave him a slight nod and told my group and the undead furbolgs to follow me. I said goodbye to Brenow and lead the little army out of Grizzlemaw.

* * *

Wyrmwrest Temple. What a lovely place it was. I always had loved to visit this place before my transformation. I had visited the Dragon Queen Alexstrasza often and had trained under the guidance of her consort Korialstrasz. They had always been friendly to me and had done their best to make me stronger.

Now, this didn't mean anything to me anymore. The dragons had Vissia as their prisoner and I will do everything to save her, even if that means to kill every dragon in this realm.

I arrived at our base which had been built two miles away from the temple. I noticed war machines which were arriving through portals, followed by other reinforcements. I looked at the Wyrmwrest Temple and noticed even from afar that a magical violet barrier protected the entire temple. Our catapults stood in the middle between our base and the temple and were firing, by magic strengthened, missiles at the barrier, weakening it with each hit. Our frost wyrms fought against the dragons which tried to destroy our catapults. The harpoons throwers and the wyrms did their best to protect the catapults by killing more and more dragons.

Most of the dragons of Alexstrasza's flight were too busy to burn the bodies of their swarm members, meaning that our necromancers were able to raise most of them. I regarded the happening at the front for a while through a magical sphere. Our siege engines were able to heavily damage the barrier which prevented that we could storm the temple. The Red Dragonflight, on the other hand, managed to destroy half of your catapults but a lot of them lost their lives and were brought back as frost wyrms by the necromancers and val'kyries. I was pretty sure that the barrier will fall within the next few hours.

A skeletal dragon landed next to me, telling me that I should climb on its back. Judging by the sound of its voice it was a female. She told me that her name was Avigosa and she would enjoy fighting with me. I responded that it was an honour to meet her. I climbed on her head, freezing my feet to her skullcap so that I wouldn't fall off accidentally, then I told her that I was ready. She nodded her head and rose in the air.

She overcame the distance within a few minutes. I shot arcane bolts and frostbolts at the members of the Red Dragonflight, hurting a few of them. Avigosa opened her jaw and spit fireballs out which had a blue colour instead of the natural red colour of dragon fire. She hit a lot of Alexstrasza's dragons, killing a few of them immediately.

I couldn't see it on their faces but I was pretty sure that these dragons weren't surprised to see me. Everyone knew that I was not really dead and that I served the Lich King because Rhonin had spread the news after I had spared him.

The dragons focused on me, having selected me as their priority target, knowing they couldn't stop the catapults from destroying the barrier. Fortunately, Avigosa was a very fast dragon and avoided most of the dragons' fiery breaths, fireballs and other fiery missiles. She got hit twice but these fire techniques weren't strong enough to seriously harm her.

Avigosa froze the head of a dragon and bit through the neck of another while I hit the belly of the third one with dozens of super sharp ice-spikes. The dragon howled out in pain but didn't flee. He continued to attack us until a sharp harpoon hit one of his wings, forcing him to land on the ground where he was attacked and quickly taken out by five death knights and hundreds of ghouls.

I noticed that humans, night elves and even orcs rushed, in large numbers, out of the temple and ran towards our troops which were guarding the siege engines. They met our death knights and ghouls at the halfway and fought against them. I told Avigosa to get closer to the foot soldiers. She obeyed me and brought me close enough to the fight at the ground that I was able to send hails of ice-splinters at the mortal reinforcements, killing a few of them immediately. A smile appeared on my lips when I noticed that the mortals recognized me and pointed at me. Their archers and spellcasters changed their targets immediately and fired at me and Avigosa.

My wyrm had no problem dodging the attacks of the living. Unfortunately, Avigosa was so busy with dodging the numerous missiles that she saw the incoming fireball too late. A load painful roar slipped out of her jaw when the fireball hit her in the chest. I turned towards the attacker, recognizing immediately who it was. It was no other than Korialstrasz. He spat another fireball out, hitting Avigosa again then he flew to her and rammed her with all of his weight, causing that she lost her balance and fell to the ground.

Not even the ice which froze my feet to her skullcap prevented that I fell off her when she crashed onto the ground. I tried to stand up and flinched when I noticed that my left leg was broken. I performed a quick necromancy spell, healing my leg.

I stood up and walked to Avigosa as fast as possible. She was not defeated but a lot of her bones were shattered, meaning that she wouldn't be able to move or fly without the help of a necromancer. I had never treated an injured skeletal dragon so I didn't know if my spells would be enough to help her. I recognized that she was suffering. She may not feel real pain but the unpleasant feeling produced by the wounds was enough to make her suffer. I hated to see her like this but I wasn't able to do anything for her, at least not alone.

Fortunately, a small group of necromancers noticed us. They went away from the battlefield and rushed to us. I looked in the sky and noticed that Korialstrasz was busy fighting against three frost wyrm at the same time, meaning that he had no time to finish Avigosa. Korialstrasz managed to shatter the skull of a smaller frost wyrm with his jaw before he was forced to flew back to the temple because more frost wyrms had started to attack him from afar.

Together with the necromancers, I managed to fix Avigosa's broken bones so that she was able to stand up and fly again. I climbed back on her skull, this time using thicker layers of ice to freeze my feet on her. She rose in the air and fly towards the barrier which was about to dissolve. She spat large blue flames out, destroying the fragile barrier. The corner of my lips formed a small smile when I noticed the shocked faces of the mages who were standing on top of the temple and did their best to hold back the incoming swarm of undead dragons.

Unfortunately for us, they got more reinforcements, this time, not by the mortal humanoid creatures. Hundreds of Dragons from the Green and Bronze Dragonflights came out of nowhere and attacked the swarm of frost wyrms. The frost wyrms didn't hesitate and fought back, meaning that no one was attacking the temple. I spotted the mighty green dragon Ysera, the green Aspect and Lady of Dreams. Next to her flew the bronze dragon Nozdormu, also known as the Aspect of Time.

I knew that this wasn't looking good. The Lich King had promised me that Kel'Thuzad would be able to keep the Green and Bronze Dragonflights busy for a while. His failure meant that we had a huge problem. We would have been able to win against one Dragon Aspect and her dragonflight but three Aspects and three dragonflights were too much for the army the Lich King had given us.

I ordered a death knight, on top of a frost wyrm, to fly back and come back with reinforcements. He nodded and commanded his dragon to move but before the dragon was able to get away, he was hit by a very large fireball. The fireball consumed the wyrm and its rider, leaving nothing but ashes behind.

I looked around and searched for the one who had created such a powerful fireball. I found out that it was no other than the Dragon Queen Alexstrasza who had turned the two to ashes. I noticed that she was glaring at me with furious eyes. She seemed to be very angry that we were attacking her temple and were killing a lot of her children.

I was wondering why she hadn't shown up earlier. Maybe she had thought that she could not win this battle alone and had waited for reinforcements from the other aspects. Maybe she had travelled to the other dragon temples and had personally asked for assistance. I didn't know what she had done, I only knew that our current situation was not looking good for us.

I didn't really care if we would win this battle. My only mission was to save Vissia. Maybe, I could enter the temple and look for her while the frost wyrms keep the Dragon Aspects busy. This would be risky but I saw no other way to free Vissia.

The only question I was asking myself was: Where am I supposed to start looking for her?

The temple was so tall and had so many levels that it would take a while to look through every level, not to mention that each level would be guarded by humanoid dragons and allies of the dragons.

I was only sure that she was in this temple because Arthas had smuggled one of his best rogues in the temple. The rogue had contacted Arthas through a magical sphere and had confirmed that Vissia was held in the temple. Unfortunately, he hadn't told us in which level she was because he had been detected and killed before he could have finished his explanations.

I commanded Avigosa to fly in circles and dodge the attacks of the dragons as best as she could, as long as I tried to figure out what to do. She obeyed me and sent several frozen fireballs at the incoming dragons while I continued to think. I would like to save Vissia but the risk was too high. There was no guarantee that I would come close to the temple, not when so many dragons were flying in front of it. I had to get back to the base and ask for reinforcements. Without help, we won't be able to achieve a victory over the dragons.

I still couldn't believe that Kel'Thuzad had failed his mission. I didn't know how he had planned to distract the other dragonflights. I only knew that his plan had failed and we had to deal with the consequences of his failure. I was wondering if he was defeated or if the dragons hadn't been able to kill him. He would come back no matter what because nobody else knew the location of his phylactery

I didn't care what had happened to him, I had other problems at the moment. The dragons were outnumbering us, killing our frost wyrms one by one and burning their skeletal bodies. The death knights and ghouls were burned by dragons, the siege engines were getting destroyed and dragons flew to our bases, wanting to leave it in burning ruins.

I commanded the frost wyrms and other winged creatures to retreat. They obeyed me immediately and fled back to our base. A lot of the remaining flying creatures managed to reach the base, the others were taken down on the way. Avigosa landed on the ground in front of the base. She was heavily injured, one of her boned wings had caught fire, a lot of her bones were shattered because the largest members of the Red Dragonflight had rammed her over and over again during the flight. Still, she had managed to shake them off and bring me to the base safely.

I didn't hesitate and ran towards the still opened portal. I almost reached the portal as it suddenly closed right in front of me. I turned around, wanting to find out who had closed it. I spotted Rhonin who was sitting on top of Korialstrasz's head. He was giving me an angry look. He seemed to not have forgiven me for what I have done to Dalaran and its citizens. He was still furious with me, even after months. I had expected that he would show up in this battle. After I had driven him out of his city, he and his family had found refuge in the temple of the Red Dragonflight. The Dragon Queen had allowed him to live with them because he was the student and friend of Korialstrasz.

Korialstrasz changed his appearance to his humanoid form as soon as Rhonin had gotten off his head. The mighty dragon took the shape of a very tall, blond blood elf. I was wondering why Korialstrasz had changed his form, maybe he and Rhonin didn't want to kill me. Maybe they only wanted to capture me. Korialstrasz was weaker in his humanoid form, meaning the chance of accidentally killing me would be lower.

"Give up Jaina and we will guarantee that we will spare you and find a way to free you from the Lich King's grip" Rhonin shouted and lifted his wand, starting to perform a spell.

"You don't need to fight us, Jaina. It is over" Korialstrasz, who was known as Krasus in this form, shouted.

"I will never give up!" I shouted and sent an ice blast after them. Rhonin created a small fireball which collided with the ice blast and melted it. Krasus hit me with an arcane shot which was so strong that I was pushed to the ground. I got hit again after I had finally managed to get up which had taken a lot longer for me than usual. This time an arcane and a frost technique hit me.

This time, I managed to stay on my feet.

I countered Rhonin's next spell and avoided Krasus' arcane missiles by changing my location through instant teleportation. I appeared behind them and created a hail of sharp ice-splinters which rained down onto them. Krasus created a flying ice wall which protected them from my missiles while Rhonin sent several arcane abilities at me.

Together, they hit me over and over again with techniques without getting hit by many of my spells. They managed to force me to freeze myself in an ice block which protected me from their spells. I could do nothing except watch them preparing more spells which they would send at me as soon as the ice block expires. A powerful arcane shot hit me in the chest, causing that I staggered backwards. I felt the same unpleasant feeling, I usually felt when I was seriously hurt.

I knew that I couldn't win this fight. Together, they were too powerful for me. I decided to try to buy some time by running away. My plan was to try to hide from them so that I could disappear through a portal. Unfortunately, my plan failed when I stumbled over a small rock and fell, my head hit the hard and icy ground. My vision blurred, darkness overwhelmed me and I passed out after a few seconds.


	8. Wrath of the Lich King

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wish you happy Christmas holidays, for all of you.
> 
> This chapter is a bit longer than the average chapter of this story ( My Christmas Gift for you) Enjoy it :)

_Lich King's POV_

I walked through the corridors of the lowest level of Icecrown Citadel with a small smile on my lips as I looked over the thousands of creatures who were gathered there and bowed to me. Thanks to Frostmourne's magic, every single creature was loyal to me although they never would have served me voluntary in life. Since their death, they had no other choice than serving me because the dark magic, which empowers Frostmourne, forced them to obey me.

I loved it that no one dared to question or doubt my decisions like my friends and followers had done in life. Uther the Lightbringer had been one of them. Together with Jaina, he had left me when I had decided that it was the best to purge Stratholme. Now, Jaina belonged to me and she had proved more than one time that she would follow me regardless that I would be asking from her. Soon, she will absolve her last test and then I will make her to my queen, to the queen of the Scourge. Together we will unbeatable. Nobody will be able to stop us.

I walked along the corridor and used the teleporting platform which brought me to the second highest level of Icecrown, the Upper Reaches. I followed the circular-shaped corridor until I came to the Crimson Hall, spotting two San'layn who were bowing to me. These blood-drinking vampires were servants of Blood Queen Lana'thel who had been brought back from the dead after the heroes of Azeroth had defeated her and her followers months ago.

I walked through the corridors of the Crimson Hall and came to her chamber which was guarded by twelve San'layn and one lich. They bowed to me and stepped away from the entrance, giving me enough space to walk through it. I spotted Lana'thel sitting on her throne. She got up as soon as she recognized me and bowed down. I walked slowly towards her, telling her to get up as I reached her.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, master" she said and gave me a wide smile.

"I could say the same Lana'thel" I responded and studied her, noticing that her appearance hadn't changed at all. She was still wearing the same red robes, the same silver coloured crown with the green jewel and her skin had the same grey colour. Her brown hair was tied up and reached to her rear. She looked majestic with her strong wings, her green glowing eyes and her tall body. She was beautiful indeed, not that it would matter for me.

Her beauty didn't matter for me because I had only eyes for Jaina. I was just mating with Selania to not make her suspicious and to motivate her. I didn't need her anymore, or at least not in the same way as I needed Jaina. I couldn't explain what had happened to me over the past months since Jaina had become my servant. I couldn't deny that her presence had changed me, somehow. I just couldn't figure out if this change was good or bad for me and for the Scourge.

"What gives me the honour to meet you, master?" asked Lana'thel with a teasing smile on her lips.

"I have a task for you, Blood Queen" I responded.

"A task? That's good to hear. Staying all day and all night in this square is so boring. I long for a meaningful task, a mission which would challenge my skills" she said and stepped closer to me.

"I want you to plan the campaign for the Howling Fjord. I want to conquer the remaining areas and territories in Northrend within the next year. The Howling Fjord in the east of Northrend will be our next target. I want you to take care of it"

"Don't worry, my master. I will make sure that the Scourge will be victorious. We will handle the Forsaken who are working on another version of the Plague. They want to use the plague against us but I will make sure that the development will never be completed. Neither the Alliance nor the Horde will stop us." Lana'thel told and gave me a confident nod.

"Good. I will go now, I will expect a report from you every month"

"Of course, my master" she responded and looked at me. Suddenly, her eyes lightened up in surprise and focused on someone or something behind me. I turned around and spotted Selania who was standing in the entrance of Lana'thel's chamber and was bowing to me, her head hung low as if she was asking for forgiveness.

"What are you doing here Selania? You are supposed to join the attack on the Wyrmwrest Temple" I shouted irritated and made a step towards her.

"Well, I'm here because I have to bring bad news to you, my master" she responded while she kept staring at the ground, not daring to look at me. I knew Selania for over twelve years, I knew her behaviour, her characteristics and her quirks. She was a very confident person and normally looked at me when she had bad news for me. She rarely refused to look at me which could only mean that she had very bad news for me. I had a bad feeling about what she would tell me.

"Bad news? You mean something had happened which shouldn't have happened?" I asked and walked to her until I stood directly in front of her. "Tell me" I hissed, already noticing the aggression which was building up in me. My muscles tensed up only by thinking about what could have happened.

"Well, it's about Kel'Thuzad and Lady Jaina. Kel'Thuzad's mission to distract the other dragonflights had failed. The dragons had defeated him and had supported the Dragon Queen in defending the Wyrmwrest Temple" she explained, still not daring to look at me.

"Continue" I shouted out. Even blinded by my anger, I recognize that Selania was shaking, a rare sight I had never seen before. I had thought that she was the only one who was immune to my terrifying aura. I had thought that she was my strongest servant who wouldn't get frightened but now I realized she was afraid of me and my outbursts like every other servant.

She continued to speak, her voice was slightly trembling. "They got her"

"Her? Who do you mean with her?" I asked impatiently.

"Lady Proudmoore. Archmage Rhonin and the dragon Krasus or better known as Korialstrasz had captured her"

"What? Are you messing around with me? Are you fooling me or do you want to seriously tell me that two mortals have captured _my Jaina_?" I shouted. I was so furious and blinded my anger that I didn't recognize the hurt look in her eyes when her ears had recognized that I had titled Jaina as _my Jaina_. "That's impossible. How could these mortals beat her? You have to be wrong about this, this cannot be real"

"It seems that _your_ Jaina isn't that mighty as you have thought, master" she said. My response followed quickly but it was not a verbal response. It was a physical response. My gauntleted hand hit her left cheek forcefully, throwing her a few feet away. She looked up at me, her face showed me that she was shocked about my reaction. She had thought that I would never hit her. I hadn't thought it would ever hit her but my anger about this news had spoken for me. Lana'thel, on the other hand, had an impassive expression on her face and looked at me as if nothing had happened, as if she had expected that I would react this way. She looked at me as if hitting my strongest servant was normal.

Somehow, I couldn't suppress my anger. I was so furious at this moment that I would like to destroy the entire citadel in my rage. I found myself walking to Selania, lifting her in the air and pressing her against the nearest wall.

"And, where were you?" I asked, my furious eyes observed her. She tried to avoid my gaze but I forced her to look in my eyes.

"I was about to join her with reinforcements but it was already too late" she stuttered. She was obviously afraid and feared what I could do to her.

"You were supposed to get along with her. You were supposed to get known to her and support her. Your task was to attack the temple with her. Why didn't you join her after your mission in Grizzly Hills?" I shouted and smashed her against the wall. Her shocked eyes became even wider and fear started to overwhelm her.

"I...I" she started to stutter but I interrupted her by hitting her again. I flung her onto the ground and hit her with a forceful kick. She didn't stand up, she didn't even try to, knowing I would be more violent if she would try it. I lifted her up again and clasped her throat. I knew that throttling her was pointless because she didn't need to breathe but the message, I was delivering was, clear enough.

I dropped her to the ground after I had held her for a few minutes. This time, she stood up and looked at me. I recognized that, somehow, all signs of fear and weakness had disappeared out of her facial expression. I glared at Lana'thel who was giving me a curious and excited look. I looked back at Selania who was looking at me with dangerous eyes.

"It's not my fault that this whore was not strong enough to win against two mortal weaklings. It's not my task to babysit her all the time. It's not my fault that you have overestimated her and have expected too much" she hissed and stepped forward provocatively. I hit her again, this time her left cheek and bottom lip burst open and black blood flowed out.

"Don't you dare to ever speak with me in this tone again" I hissed angrily.

"And what happens if I do?" she asked. I gave her a physical reply which was clear enough. I vented my anger by hitting her over and over again until she stopped moving. I looked around, noticing that the entire floor was covered in black sticky blood. I observed Selania's beaten body, then I looked at Lana'thel and said "Raise her and make sure that she knows her place this time"

"As you wish, my master" she responded. I didn't look at her, neither did I look at Selania's stiff body when I walked out of Lana'thel's quarter.

* * *

_Jaina's POV_

The light blinded me when I woke up. It was so bright that I had to close my eyes. I moved my hands in front of my eyes, the jangling sound of chains told me that my hands were tied up. At least I was able to get used to the dazzling light over the time. I opened my eyes after a while and looked around, trying to figure out where I was.

I was sitting on a cold floor, my back was pressed against a stone wall, massive bars shut me in and prevented that I could get away even if I could get rid of my shackles. I noticed a small window in the wall on the opposite side through which the dazzling sunlight was coming. Without my magic, I was exposed to the sunlight which felt very unpleasant for me. Now I knew why Sylvanas Windrunner and her Forsaken servants had preferred to meet with the Alliance and the Horde in shady places for important meetings about the Scourge. Undead creatures weren't as good in bearing sunlight as the living, meaning that the sunlight was very unpleasant and even hurt at some points.

I tried everything to get rid of these chains and shackles but they were attached too tightly around my wrists so that it was impossible to get them off. I couldn't do anything except waiting. I didn't even see other cells and prisoners. The room, in which I was locked in, was very small and seemed to be made for only one person. I noticed glowing runes which were carved in the wall. Their only purpose was to prevent the use of magic for the case that I would somehow manage to get out of this cell. I waited in this cell for hours where nothing happened.

I was only able to pass the time by thinking about Vissia, the good Arthas from the past and the current Arthas. I remembered all the memories which were still stuck in my mind. I remembered my first meeting with Arthas when we had been kids. I remembered the little trip to the prison camps for the orcs, years later. I remembered Arthas visiting me in Dalaran. I remembered our first kiss and the jealous face Kael'thas had made when he had caught us. I remembered the first night we had spent together, the first night we had spent together after my rebirth and many other important memories.

I was brought out of my thoughts by the sound which was produced when someone cleared his or her throat. I looked up and recognized Rhonin who was looking down at me, his facial expression seemed to show sorry and pity. Next to him stood Vereesa, her arm was wrapped around his shoulder and she was looking at me with an impassive face. Vereesa was not the only person who was accompanying Rhonin. Alexstrasza, Krasus and even Varian Wrynn were standing in the room and were regarding me.

Varian Wrynn had once been one of mine and Arthas best friends in life before we both became members of the Scourge. He was observing me, shock, hurt and betrayal were written in his face. He was looking at me as if I was a disease which needs to be cleansed from the world. Rhonin, on the other hand, was looking at me with hope in his eyes. I was pretty sure that he was thinking that I could be redeemed, that there was a way to free me from the Lich King's control. I didn't know if such a possibility existed, I didn't even know if I wanted to be redeemed.

I wanted to be close as possible to Arthas and spent time with him but I didn't want to fight my former friends on the other hand. I only had fought against Rhonin and Vereesa to impress Arthas, I even had spared Rhonin's life. I could have killed him, I could have made Vereesa to a widow and her kids to half-orphans but I hadn't done it because there was still a good side in me. This side existed in me but it didn't have the control over me, it could only influence me sometimes.

Varian made a step forward, this time he didn't look like he would like to annihilate me. He looked curiously at me, his eyes showed the same hope, Rhonin's eyes were showing.

"Jaina..." he whispered but he didn't complete his sentence. Instead, he looked at me as if he wanted to find out if I still knew my name. I lifted my head and looked at him without saying anything.

"You know... I have never thought that the Lich King would get you. What have you thought when you claimed the highest level of the Icecrown Citadel and tried to talk to the Lich King once again? Why had you tried it, even after he had killed Tirion and the other heroes?" he asked and looked at me.

Oh, Varian... He was believing that I wasn't responsible for Tirion's death. He thought that I had nothing to do with the loss of the combined troops of the Alliance and the Horde. He couldn't know that without my actions, the Lich King would be dead now and the people, who lived on Azeroth, wouldn't suffer any more under the Scourge.

Oh, Varian if only you knew... You would never look at me if you would know what I have done to protect the love of my life. I had sacrificed a lot and I will sacrifice more to protect the Lich King and the good part of Arthas which still exists in him.

"Say something. Being silent doesn't help you and doesn't help us either. We want answers" said Vereesa and eyed me. She was standing behind her husband as if she was hoping that he would protect her from me. It didn't seem that she would forgive my stabbing attack so easily.

She knew that I couldn't harm her in my position. I wouldn't do it either because I saw no point in injuring her. I wasn't even jealous at her. I could be jealous because she lived the perfect life I always had dreamed of. She had a husband who loved her. She had children who adored her. She lived a life I couldn't have with Arthas. Even if I find a way to reach the good Arthas, I would never be able to have children because I was dead. I would never be able to give him an heir. In life, I would have loved the idea of giving birth to Arthas' children. As an undead, having children was the last thing I was imaging.

I noticed that tears were running down my cheeks as I thought what I have lost over the past years. I didn't want to cry. I didn't want to show weakness, especially not in front of my enemies but I couldn't prevent the tears from running down my cheeks. I wiped the tears off my face, I lifted my head a little and looked at Varian and the others who were looking at me with mixed feelings. Rhonin, Krasus and Alexstrasza were giving me an understanding look. Varian's looks showed that he was confused and Vereesa looked at me with a mistrustful expression on her face as if she wouldn't believe me that I had feelings which could overwhelm me.

"So, what do we do with her now? We can't execute her like all the other members of the Scourge" said Varian, still regarding me.

"Why not? She had led attacks in the name of the Scourge against us. She is responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of creatures, if not even more. I think that she should be treated in the same way as the other members of the Scourge" said Vereesa and looked at Varian, refusing to look at me for longer than necessary.

"We can help her. The good Jaina still exists in her. I believe that we can reach her" responded Rhonin and looked at his wife who was giving him a doubting expression.

"Are you serious? Look at her, she looks like everything but Jaina. She doesn't even act like the Jaina we knew. She attacked ME, her best friend, without hesitation" uttered Vereesa.

I was pretty sure that Vereesa hated me. She hated me because I had attacked her and her second home Dalaran. I guessed that she was also angry that I was serving for the one who had murdered her sister and had left her homeland in ruins. I was pretty sure that she would never forgive me for what I have done in the past months.

"Your sister was also raised by the Scourge and you told me that you believe that your sister still exists in the monster she had become" responded Rhonin.

"Don't you dare to compare my sister to this _thing_. Sylvanas didn't volunteer to join the Scourge. She lost her life to fight for our home and to save our people. She may have changed but that was the fault of that butcher" Vereesa hissed and looked at me for a small moment before she looked back at her husband with the same amount of anger in her eyes.

"How could you know that Jaina volunteered to join the Scourge? The Jaina I know and with who I had worked with would never have done such a thing"

"Love can blind someone. She had told me that she still had feelings for Arthas and she believed that she could reach the good Arthas which should still exist in him, in her opinion. She couldn't reach Arthas again so she joined him. That's the only logical conclusion which would explain her appearance change" responded Vereesa.

"So, you believe that the good Arthas doesn't exist anymore?" asked Rhonin.

"Yes, I don't believe that. I may have never met him in life but even I had heard that he was a very famous person, in life. This crown prince would have never slain so many people over the past decade if only a little spark of the good Arthas would exist in him. Arthas Menethil is gone. What remains is only a crazy mass murderer who will receive his just punishment sooner or later"

"You are contradicting yourself" I responded and looked at Vereesa who was looking back at me, curiosity and confusion were written in her face.

"What do you mean?" she asked and stepped closer to me.

"If the good Arthas doesn't exist, in your opinion, then the Lich King wouldn't have spared me which means that he had slain me. That means that I would have been forced to serve the Scourge and didn't volunteer to join them" I responded.

I was saying the truth in the point that Arthas had slain me and forced me to serve him but that was not the entire truth. The truth was that I was pretty sure that the good Arthas still existed in the Lich King although he had killed and raised me. If the good Arthas wouldn't exist in the Lich King anymore then I wouldn't have noticed a change in his behaviour the last time we had satisfied the needs of the other. I was pretty sure that the ice, which buried the good Arthas, had started to melt when I had once again become a part of his life. I didn't know how I had done it, nor I knew how I could accelerate the process but I was pretty sure that the ice will fully melt one day.

For now, I could only try to convince them that I was no danger for them by turning the things in my favour, hoping that they would spare me and try to free me out of the Lich King's hands so that the Lich King would have enough time to rescue me out of this prison. I was pretty sure that he was coming, I just didn't know how long I had to hold out.

"She is right. I also don't think that the good Arthas still exists. The Lich King must have slain her which means that she hadn't volunteered to join the Scourge" commented Alexstrasza. "We will find a way to free her from the Lich King's control. If we don't find a way then we will have to lock her in forever and make sure that she will be no danger for all living beings"

"Do you have an idea how we can free her?" Rhonin asked Alexstrasza.

"Not right now but I will speak with the other Dragon Aspects. Maybe we will find a solution together"

"I could meet with the night elves and try to find out if they have a solution" suggested Krasus.

"That's a good idea" said Varian.

"I will stay with Jaina talk with her, maybe I can reach her" said Rhonin and looked at his wife who didn't seem to be convinced by the idea. He looked at the others who gave him agreeing nods. Krasus, Alexstrasza and Varian left the room while Rhonin and Vereesa stayed and looked at me with mixed feelings. Rhonin was giving me a hopeful look while Vereesa was looking at me contemptuously.

"Jaina?" Rhonin started and looked curiously at me.

I didn't respond. I didn't even look at him. Instead, I was staring at the wall, unsure what do think and what to feel. I felt shattered, sad and lost. These people, who had discussed over my fate, had aroused forgotten memories. Memories about the fight against the Scourge, the negotiations with the Horde and other things we had done during the past years where we had fought against the forces of the Lich King.

I couldn't look at them, especially not at Vereesa without breaking out in tears. I couldn't believe that I was feeling this way. I had thought that being raised as a member of the Scourge had obliterated all of my feelings except for anger and hatred for all living creatures. But It seemed that I still had other feelings, feelings I didn't want to feel at this moment.

I closed my eyes and listened to Rhonin who tried his best to reach the good part which still existed in me. He may have been able to melt the ice a little but he wasn't able to break the ice which buried the good part in me. Rhonin and his wife stood there for two hours and talked to me but their words didn't reach me. I didn't even say anything to them. They left after a while, leaving me alone in the room. I couldn't do anything except thinking about my past and the decisions I had made.

* * *

_Lich King's POV_

I stood at the edge of the top platform of Icecrown Citadel and was looking in the northern direction. I felt anger and wrath when my eyes recognized the small outlines of Wyrmwrest Temple, the place where the mortals held my Jaina captivated. Even the slightest thought about Jaina in a prison enraged me. I felt rage against the mortals who dared to capture my future queen. They will know soon enough that they had done a terrible mistake. They will know soon that I will do everything to save Jaina, to save my future queen. They will feel it the hard way how devastating the wrath of the Lich King could be. They will feel my wrath. Nobody dares to take my Jaina away from me, not after I had gotten her back, almost a year ago.

I couldn't deny that Jaina had become very important for me over the past months. I couldn't express my exact feelings for her. I didn't know if I was capable of feeling love and other positive emotions but I felt something for her. At least I knew that I didn't want to lose her. I knew that I would do anything to rescue her, to have her back in my arms. I would slaughter every living creature who would stand in my way and would try to stop me from getting her.

I turned around and regarded my strongest frost wyrm who was hovering over the edge of the other side of the frozen platform on which I was standing. Sindragosa was one of my strongest servants who had been killed by the heroes when they had invaded the citadel. These heroes hadn't burned her body so I had been able to raise her as I had done with Lana'thel. Together with Sindragosa, I will be able to deal with these dragons. They will know what I was capable of.

Sindragosa was looking at me. I couldn't read her expression but I was pretty sure that she was excited to attack the Wyrmwrest Temple with me. My soldiers were ready and waited for my command but I was waiting for someone too. The one person who was also responsible that they had captured my Jaina. If Kel'Thuzad wouldn't have failed his mission, then the other Dragon Aspects wouldn't have supported the Dragon Queen and my troops would have won the battle. His failure will have serious consequences for him which he can't avoid. I was sure that I will punish him after I have rescued Jaina.

Kel'Thuzad arrived on top of the citadel after an hour. I turned to him and looked at him with furious eyes. He moved to me as fast as possible and bowed to me.

"I'm sorry that I have failed, my master. I..." he started but I cut him off.

"You can tell me your excuses when we have Jaina back. To get her back is the only thing what matters right now. We shouldn't waste more time. I don't want to imagine what they could do to her right now. I'm hoping for you that they don't find a way to manipulate her and turn her against me. Or even worse, to kill her" I shouted and walked to Sindragosa, not wasting a glimpse at Kel'Thuzad.

Sindragosa lowered herself so that I was able to climb on her back. I told Kel'Thuzad that he should find replacements for the troops we had lost because of him. He bowed to me and told me that he will not fail me again. I responded that I was hoping that for him. I looked at him for the last time before I commanded Sindragosa to bring me to my army which was stationed a few miles away from the Wyrmwrest Temple. Sindragosa didn't hesitate and flew towards the north. The flight was faster than I had expected, meaning that we reached my army within an hour.

I looked down at hundreds of thousand creatures which were waiting for my command. I turned my head and regarded the tens of thousands of gargoyles, nerubians and about one thousand frost wyrms which wouldn't hesitate to attack their former race members. It had been a mistake to not sent more flying beasts to the temple. I had only sent a small proportion of my army because I had never thought that Kel'Thuzad would disappoint me by failing his mission. Next time, I will send more creatures into battle for the case that something unexpected would happen again.

I ordered Sindragosa to land in front of my army. I observed my army as soon as she had landed. I spotted Selania who was standing in front of my army. I remembered that I had put her in charge of this mission, to give her the opportunity to prove her loyalty and her usefulness to me once again. Hopefully, she will be less arrogant and hateful towards Jaina after Lana'thel had brought her back. She was such a strong-willed and powerful warrior. I knew that she was, by far, the most feared soldier of the Scourge, after me of course. Every mortal knew who she was and what she was capable of.

I looked at Selania and she was looking back at me, saluting to me. I had forbidden Lana'thel to delete her memory. Selania should know what would happen when someone provoked me and mistreats Jaina. At least she had learned that I made no exceptions, not even for her. I had taught her respect, hopefully, she will be kinder and smarter in the future.

I lifted Frostmourne in the air, Sindragosa was giving a loud roar, signalizing everyone that the attack had started. Sindragosa rose into the air and followed the running creatures slowly so that she wouldn't fly ahead of them. It took a few hours for my army to reach the Wyrmrest Temple. The barrier which protected the temple was a lot weaker than the barrier which had protected it when we had attacked it for the first time, three weeks ago. My lips formed a wide grin when I recognized the three Dragon Aspects and their dragonflights flying in front of the temple. The mighty Dragon Queen was flying in the middle, to the left side flew her sister Ysera and to the right sight flew the Aspect of time.

Sindragosa's children roared out loudly as they charged at the nearest dragons. Alexstrasza opened her jaw and spat a large fireball in my direction. Sindragosa countered her attack by sending a blue fireball at her. The two fireballs met in the middle and neutralized each other.

Another fireball was sent after us but I lifted Frostmourne and created a protective barrier around Sindragosa which protected her from the fireball. I commanded Sindragosa to attack and take out as many of these smaller dragons a possible. Sindragosa and her children managed to kill a lot of these dragons with the aid of the gargoyles, flying nerubians and siege engines. On the other hand, we lost a few dozen dragons, flying beasts and about twelve siege engines.

We managed to take out half of their dragons within five hours of constant fighting. I had thrown green spheres, created by the use of dark magic, at nearby dragons and had protected Sindragosa with powerful barrier most of the time while she had dealt with the dragons who had dared to attack her. We managed to drive the dragons back and moved the fight to the top of the temple.

I was standing in the middle of the highest platform of the temple, killing humanoid dragons, which weren't able to fly, one by one with Frostmourne. I looked around, noticing that Sindragosa and her children were keeping the great dragons busy, which would give me the time I need to look for Jaina. Rage filled me up, causing that more and more adrenaline rushed through my body when I imagined what could have happened to Jaina within the weeks where she had been held as a prisoner.

I made a few steps forward and approached the nearest dragon. It was a drakonid, a dragon on four legs with blue scales and no wings. It carried a long spear in its hands and it charged forward, intending to strike me down. But I wouldn't be the Lich King if such a meaningless dragon would be a threat for me. I blocked the attack with Frostmourne, the sound of steel clashing against steel was music to my ears. I managed to push the dragon away, forcing him to stumble backwards. The dragon looked at me, surprise and fear were written in his face. I dodged his next attack and ran my blade through his heart, killing him immediately. I pulled Frostmourne out of his corpse, absorbing his soul before I raised him.

Another dragon, who had watched in horror what I have done to his comrade, rushed to me. Like the other dragon, he fell without having caused anything. I turned around when I heard the loud cry from a dragon. My first thought was that Sindragosa was hurt but luckily for me, it was not Sindragosa who had cried out in pain. It was Alexstrasza whose throat had produced this cry when Sindragosa and one of her children had rammed her and had left a huge biting wound in her neck. Her consort rammed Sindragosa, forcing her away from the Lifebinder.

I noticed that Ysera and Nozdormu weren't doing any better. They may belong to the most powerful dragons on Azeroth but even they were powerless against the superior number of frost wyrms. I noticed that they were retreating, not immediately because the wyrms were still attacking them but they were fighting back slowly until they find an opportunity to get away. I didn't care if we would take them down, as long as I get my Jaina I was fine with every outcome of this battle.

I walked to the edge of the platform and jumped on the back of a frost wyrm, ordering it to bring me to the second highest level. The wyrm obeyed and brought me to a window. I didn't hesitate and climbed through it, landing in a long and wide corridor. A few drakonids spotted me and attacked me immediately but they were no match for me or for Frostmourne. I raised them after I had slain them, making them to valuable servants of the Scourge. I sent them out to fight their former comrades, which should give me enough time for my search.

I was about to enter a room when a fireball hit me in the back, causing me to nearly fall to the floor. Fortunately, I got my balance back at the last moment. I turned around and noticed that Rhonin and a blond elf where standing a few feet away from me. Flames and lightning were formed between their fingers, ready to be fired at me.

"Rhonin Redhair and the mighty Krasus or better known as Korialstrasz want to stop me. That's funny" I said with my monotonal and very deep voice and looked at them, giving them an amused smile.

"Stop this madness Arthas. Surrender and we give you a quick death"

"HAHAHAHAHA! You really think that you two pitiful mages can take ME down? ME? Come on, try it. You will make powerful servants for the Scourge, I can guarantee you that" I responded and laughed. Their eyes narrowed and they gritted their teeth when the recognized that I wasn't taking them seriously.

"I never thought that you would be so foolish and would dive that deep in our territory Arthas. Give up" shouted Rhonin and turned the flames between his fingers into a very large pyroblast, signalizing me that he was ready to throw it at me in the next moment.

"Well, your little dragon queen seemed to have problems with my mighty frost wyrms. Maybe you should help her instead of trying to stop me. Fighting me would mean your death and maybe the death of your queen too" I said to Krasus, my smile become even wider when I recognized the change in his features. My ears recognized another cry from the Dragon Queen, causing that my smile became wider once again. Krasus looked at Rhonin then at me and then back at Rhonin. Rhonin nodded his head and shot the pyroblast at me while Krasus turned around and rushed to the window through which I had come a few minutes ago. I created a green barrier around me which absorbed the pyroblast and negated the damage which would have been done by it.

"You have two options Rhonin. Option number one: You tell me where Jaina is. Option number two: I kill you, raise you and force you to tell me where she is" I said and looked at him, still smiling amused at him.

He gritted his teeth and was silent for a few moments. He was probably thinking about the reply he would give me

"She is gone!"

"What do you mean with 'she is gone'?" I shouted angrily and made a step forward, pointing Frostmourne's tip at him. I was hoping for him that this was not true. She couldn't be gone, this wouldn't make sense. Even thinking about a life without Jaina filled me with rage and made me want to slaughter every creature on this sick planet. No, this couldn't be true. There was no chance that the mortals would have killed her. Rhonin was just messing around with me, trying to force me to do something rashly. I didn't believe him. He was mortal and mortals were known to lie to get an advantage. I won't listen to his lies

"Tell me where she is or I will end your worthless life, mage" I hissed and walked closer to him. He reacted quickly, forming a frostbolt and making steps backwards. Suddenly, Selania jumped through the window and landed a few meters behind Rhonin. She held her massive swords in her hands, ready to strike the mage down. Rhonin didn't hesitate and sent the frostbolt at Selania, using the little time window, where Selania was busy with blocking this spell, to get away through instant teleportation.

"Dammit" I hissed and turned around, opening the door in front of me with a forceful kick. I entered the room, noticing immediately that it was some sort of a prison cell.

There she was. My Jaina, shackled to a wall behind bars. I would destroy everything and slaughter every creature if that would be necessary to rescue her. I saw her but she was not alone. Rhonin stood next to her, a portal was behind him. He freed Jaina from her shackles and lifted her up.

Her eyes lightened up when she saw me. Her eyes were widened, her mouth was wide open as if a noiseless scream would escape her lips. She stretched her arm out, trying to touch me but I was too far away from her. Her eyes screamed for me. She wanted to be with me, she wanted to be rescued by me, she didn't want to go but she had no choice. I would like to tell her that she should fight Rhonin that I would do everything to rescue her but everything happened too fast.

Rhonin pushed her through the portal before I was able to open the cell door. He looked at me one more time before he stepped through the same portal. Finally, I managed to open the door. I rushed to the portal but it was closed before I reached it.

A loud roar escaped my lips which caused that the walls of the room started to shake violently. I couldn't describe how angry I was. I was so furious because she had been taken away from me. I was so furious that I would like to slaughter someone. The nearest person was Selania who was standing in the door and was watching me silently with an impassive expression on her face. I could kill her but she wasn't responsible for Jaina's disappearance this time. I had already punished her for abandoning Jaina, punishing her a second time wouldn't be fair and wouldn't bring back Jaina either.

I tightened my grip around Frostmourne, knowing that someone had to die for this. This bastard Rhonin had taken her away from me. I will make sure that he will pay for that eventually. But at this moment, the only thing I could do was to win the battle and conquer this temple.

"Come, Selania. Let's drive the dragons out of this miserable place and claim this temple as ours" I said and walked to the exit. She stepped out of the door, allowing me to leave the room. "As you wish, my master" she responded and followed me.


	9. In the land of dreams

_Jaina's POV_

I opened my eyes as soon as soon as I noticed that I was conscious. The first thing I noticed, was that something soft covered my body. I lifted my upper body a little and looked at myself. A sky-blue blanket was wrapped around me and I was dressed in a light blue pyjama. I thought for a moment that I was alive again but that thought turned out to be false as soon as I noticed the light blue colour of my skin. I looked around and noticed that the room, in which I was resting, was nicely decorated.

A beautiful blue, with golden symbols, decorated, carpet laid on the floor. Paintings of different beautiful locations hung on the walls and expensive pieces of furniture like wardrobes, tables, chairs and shelves stood in this room. I stood up and walked to the window on the left side of the room. I needed to stand on my tiptoes to be able to look out of it.

I saw the deep blue sea in which ships were driving. I spotted a very large harbour on the coast in which a lot of ships were docked. I was pretty sure that this harbour looked familiar to me as if I had seen it more than one time in my life before my death. I regarded the beautiful sea and the people, who were walking around the harbour, for a while.

I turned around and walked back to the bed, noticing a beautiful blue robe which was laying on top of it. It looked exactly like one of these robes, I had worn as an archmage. The lower part reminded me of a dress and was coloured in white and purple. I knew that this robe would expose my belly and my neckline. What was special about this robe was that it had upholstered shoulder plates.

I had loved this robe and I knew that Arthas had loved it too, of course, because it was exposing special parts. I noticed, by closer looking over the robe, that it was enchanted by a magical spell which prevented that it would decay on my body if I would wear it for a long time. All of the clothes I would wear would decay over the time, except the ones given by the Lich King and this one.

I took the outfit and walked to the mirror on the other side of the room. I took the pyjama off, admiring my nude form in the mirror. I put my hand on my flat belly, stroking my ice-cold skin softly. I moved my hand over my breasts to my face and pinched my cheek, testing if I wasn't dreaming this.

I wasn't dreaming.

After regarding the harbour and the area around it for a few minutes, I remembered the name of the city which was so familiar to me. The name of the city was Stormwind City. Rhonin had brought me to Stormwind City. The question, I was asking myself, was: Why had he brought me to Stormwind City.

Suddenly, memories flooded my brain. I remembered being held in a prison. I remembered the loud roaring of battling dragons. I remembered Rhonin dragging me through a portal and Arthas trying to go after me.

My dear Arthas had tried to rescue me, he even came personally for me which was a true miracle because he never fought at the front of a battle. Arthas had tried to rescue me out of the imprisonment but Rhonin had closed the portal before Arthas could have stepped through it. Maybe this was the best outcome because the chance, that Rhonin would have lured him in a trap, would have been very high.

I continued to observe my nude body with a small smile on my lips. I had to admit that, even in death I still looked beautiful. I knew that other members of the Scourge envy me for my well-preserved body and my beauty. I didn't need to look beautiful, not for me at least. The only thing what mattered was that Arthas liked me and that I was important for him. My look seemed to be very important for him or he wouldn't have made sure that my body remained well-preserved when he had turned me into a Frost Lich. I could have ended as a skeletal servant like any other lich but Arthas had decided that I could keep my body.

I knew that he had always found me attractive and my death hadn't changed that. That was the most important reason why he was having sex with me. He didn't love me anymore, at least he didn't show that he had feelings for me. I was pretty sure that deep inside, he had feelings for me, they were just buried under thick layers of ice and suppressed by the Lich King's control.

I put on the robe and regarded myself in the mirror. I had to say, that this robe fitted me perfectly. I licked my lips and turned around, walking towards the door. I tried to open it but noticed that it was locked by magic. I tried to perform a spell but found out that I wasn't able to use any form of magic. I walked back to the mirror and regarded myself.

At this very moment, I noticed for the first time the necklace with the bright blue gem around my neck. I didn't know how I couldn't have noticed this necklace earlier. I couldn't explain how I couldn't have felt it. But I was pretty sure that it prevented me from casting any spell. I tried to take it off but I noticed that it had no strap to open it. I tried it with force but the necklace held out. I sighed and walked back to my bed, taking a seat on it.

I sat there for a while, not doing anything except staring at the ceiling. Suddenly, after a few hours had passed, the door opened and three familiar persons stepped in the room. Varian, Tyrande Whisperwind and Malfurion Stormrage where the ones who came in. Tyrande's eyes widened when she saw me, it seemed that she hadn't believed that I had become a member of the Scourge. Malfurion, on the other hand, didn't show that he was surprised to see me in this form.

"By Elune..." Tyrande whispered and closed her eyes. She took a deep breath and opened them again, staring at me. "What have they done to you?"

I could have answered 'They opened my eyes' or I could have answered 'They forced me to serve them'. But I didn't say any of these answers, instead, I was silent and said nothing while I was nervously playing with the hem of my dress. Tyrande walked to me and sat next to me. She placed her hand under my chin and lifted it, forcing me to look at her. Her beautiful eyes were widened in shock, her purple skin was paler than I remembered. Her ears hung low, signalizing her sadness and grief. I had met the leader of the night elves only a few times but I always had felt the close connection between us when we had met during many battles against the Scourge.

Things had changed. I was dead and worked for the enemy we once had fought together. I expected that Tyrande would push me away and regard me as an abomination but she didn't. She hugged me and put my head on her shoulder, running her hand carefully through my snow-white hair.

"Oh, my dear. From all people on this planet... Why does it have to be you? Why were you taken away from us?" she asked but I didn't answer because there was no fitting answer which I could say.

"She is not fully gone, my dear" said Malfurion and stepped closer to his beloved wife.

"What do you mean?" asked Tyrande and looked at him, caressing my cheeks softly, not caring that they were very cold.

"There must be a way to free her from the Scourge, to free her from the control of the Lich King"

"Are you sure?" asked Varian curiously. He was standing next to Malfurion, his eyes had lightened up and his face was showing signs of hope.

"I'm pretty sure that there is a ritual which could free her from the Lich King's influence. We may need the help of the Mother of Dreams for this" he explained.

"The green Dragon Aspect is hurt from the battle of Wyrmrest Temple. I'm pretty sure that she needs some rest now. I will contact her and find out when she will be ready for such a ritual" said Tyrande, running her fingers through my strands of purple hair. She looked at me, staring deep in my eyes. She gave me a small smile and kissed my forehead, her warm lips felt weird on my cold forehead. She gave me an insecure smile and stood up, looking at me for the last time before she turned around and walked out of the room without saying goodbye.

Malfurion gave me a curious look before he followed her. Varian stood there, looking at me for a few minutes without saying anything. I saw in his eyes that he wanted to say something to me, wanted to say that everything was going to be fine. He opened his mouth but no sound came out. He closed his mouth, his worried eyes still rested on me. He nodded to me and whispered a goodbye before he walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

* * *

_Lich King's POV_

"Can't it go any slower? I asked sarcastically and regarded Kel'Thuzad and Selania while they walked to the first step of the stairs in front of my throne

"We were walking as fast as we could" said Selania and looked at me.

"That's not fast enough"

"What can we do for you, my master?" asked Kel'Thuzad and bowed to me. Selania mimicked his action.

"I want you to find out where Rhonin had brought Jaina. I want you to find her and rescue her" I said and stood up, holding Frostmourne in my right hand as I walked down the stairs until I stood in front of them. Selania and Kel'Thuzad looked surprised at me, wondering why I had gotten up because I normally didn't stand up from my throne when I talk to someone.

"Well, he could have brought her everywhere" began Kel'Thuzad but then he stopped speaking when he saw the angry look on my face. "I could try to locate her but I'm pretty sure that they had locked her in a room in which I can't sense her aura"

"Try it nonetheless" I hissed.

"As you wish, my master" he said and turned around, walking towards the teleporting platform.

"What can I do for you, master?" asked Selania and looked at me curiously.

"Send your best men after Rhonin. They should make sure that he won't live another day. He will pay with his life for having taken Jaina away from me"

"This could take some time but I will do as you say" she said and bowed to me. She turned around and walked away, disappearing through the same teleporting platform through which Kel'Thuzad had disappeared a minute ago.

* * *

_Jaina's POV_

I was standing in front of the small window and regarded the beautiful sea. Three weeks had passed since Rhonin had brought me to Stormwind. Three weeks where no one had rescued me. I understood that it was difficult to locate me there and even more difficult for someone to get in Stormwind unnoticed and rescue me. I understood this, still, I was disappointed that no one came for me.

Varian, Rhonin and Vereesa came to me every day and checked if I was alright. Most of the time we didn't talk. They tried to speak to me but I didn't answer most of the times. Sometimes, I answered their questions about my condition and other meaningless questions persons asked during a small-talk. I didn't answer their questions about the Lich King and his plans, about my role in the Scourge and if I was on their side or on Arthas' side. Most of the time, they stared at me and observed me doing nothing really noteworthy.

Today, they came to this room as usual but this time, they didn't seem to want to talk to me or want to stare at me. They opened a portal and asked me to follow them. I knew that this was not a request I could refuse. I knew I had to follow them and there was no other option than obeying them. I stood up, knowing that resisting would lead to nothing. I didn't look at them while I walked to them. Rhonin signalized me to step through this portal. I didn't hesitate and did as I was told.

I arrived in a large room which walls were made out of white marble. The room was not a spectacular one, it was completely empty except for the few persons who stood in the middle of the room. One of them was Ysera who stood in front of a small group of night elf priestesses. My gaze rested on the night elves for a few moments before it shifted to Ysera who was looking at me with worry and hope written in her face. I didn't need to turn around to know that Rhonin, Varian and Vereesa were standing right behind me. Varian pushed me to Ysera because my body didn't want to move.

The Mother of Dreams stepped forward until the distances between our faces were only a few inches. She cleared her throat and said "I'm hoping that you are cooperating with us, Lady Proudmoore. This could be painful if you resist us. You have to believe me that I don't want to hurt you, although you were responsible for the deaths of a lot of dragons. I know that you are under the Lich King's control and I will do my best to free you from his influence"

I opened my mouth to say something but somehow, my throat felt dry as if I had a lump in my throat. I wanted to ask her where Vissia was. I wanted to ask her what they had done to her. I wanted to tell her that I didn't want to attend this ritual. I wanted to protest, wanted to say that I didn't want to be free, that I didn't want to be rescued but I wasn't able to form any words which could convince them to not do what they were about to do.

Ysera gave the priestesses a signal. They didn't hesitate and walked to me. I didn't resist when they laid me on the ground. I couldn't resist because my body suddenly felt so exhausted. My eyelids became heavy, I was feeling tired although I didn't need to sleep or rest. I wasn't able to keep my eye open, I was feeling drowsy, my body seemed to be relaxing. It didn't make sense that I was feeling this way, being undead meant that I was immune to tiredness. Still, my body felt weak, exhausted and tired.

I heard the quiet voice of Rhonin which seemed to be thousands of miles away.

"What are you doing to her?" Rhonin asked curious and worried at the same time.

"I will put her in an artificial sleep, in some sort of an illusion. I'm making sure that the Emerald Dream will affect her" answered Ysera.

"The Emerald Dream? You mean the same dream in which druids are slumbering for years"

"Yes, but she won't sleep for years. It would feel like years for her, maybe even decades but she would only miss a few weeks in the real world" insured Ysera's sweet voice.

"Would this help her?" asked Vereesa.

"I'm not sure, at least not one hundred percent sure. I think I will be able to free her from the Lich King's control through hypnosis. Of course, I will stop the hypnosis after I'm sure that her bond to the Lich King is broken"

"Hopefully it works" said Varian. "I don't want to see her serving any longer for this bastard"

"I can't guarantee anything but I can promise you that I will do everything to help her"

"Thank you, Mother of Dreams"

"You can call me Ysera"

"As you wish, Ysera" responded Varian.

I heard the quiet sounds of footsteps which were miles away. I heard quiet voices which spoke phrases in an unknown language. I felt that a spark of energy rushed through my body. Suddenly, my eyes were open and I looked around automatically.

I was standing in a wide, never-ending green grassland. I spotted a few beautiful trees which were spread over this beautiful landscape. I spotted the outlines of a sky-blue lake and walked towards it, not feeling exhausted or tired anymore.

I didn't know how long it had taken for me to reach the lake because it seemed that I had lost all track of time. I spotted a few animals who were standing close to the lake, some of them were even drinking out of it. There was a deer with beautiful brown fur, a few birds who were sitting on top of a thick branch, a young boar which was chasing a golden butterfly and many other beautiful animals, which I had adored in life.

My eyes widened when I noticed a familiar person sitting on the other side of the lake. My heart started to beat rapidly in my chest when I saw the significant blond long hair which reached to HIS shoulders. My eyes rested on HIS handsome face, on HIS beautiful blue eyes, on HIS cheeky grin. HIS golden armour reflected the sun, almost dazzling me. HE grinning at me as he saw me. HE stood up and walked above the water as if it was a smooth surface. HE stopped in front of me, placing HIS warm hands on my cheek, giving me another cheeky grin before HE leaned in and connected HIS lips with mine.

My, like a machine gun, rapidly beating heart threatened to be torn in two halves before it would jump out of my chest as HE put HIS strong arm around me, holding me as he deepened the kiss. HIS tongue caressed my bottom lip, begging me for entrance. I parted my lips, allowing HIS tongue to my mouth. We shared this indescribable sweet kiss for almost five minutes. We pulled away, both of us took a deep breath. This moment was so perfect that I didn't even notice that I shouldn't be able to breathe and my heart shouldn't be able to beat. I didn't recognize that Arthas shouldn't be alive either and look like his younger self before he had returned from his expedition in Northrend.

I ran my hands through his hair, which was as golden as mine. I toyed with strands of hair, my other hand stroked his left cheek, enjoying his warm skin. Arthas held me for a while, without saying anything. He was rubbing my back, placing kisses on my neck and even grabbing my butt, not too roughly. He took my beautiful blue dress off before he took off his armour, his vest and his long underpants, laying himself on top of me.

We made love for hours, not caring that the animals were around and looking at us. We reached our peaks for at least three times before we fell exhausted in the green grass. Arthas was lying next to me, he was breathing heavily, his chest was rising and falling quickly. Arthas held my hand and caressed the back with his thumb, while we were gazing in each other eyes. We looked at each other for a while until we fell asleep.

I got woken up by the lovely sounds of tweeting birds the next day. I lifted my upper body up and looked out for Arthas. I spotted him a few feet away from me. He was sitting at the lake's shore, feeding a few ducks with bread and berries. Unlike me, he was wearing clothes but only the fabric beneath his armour. I didn't care that I was naked and got up, slowly walking to him.

He turned his head to me as soon as I took a seat next to him. He was smiling, his blue eyes ogled my body, especially my well-proportioned chest. He put his arm around me, giving me a piece of bread. I knew that it was meant for the duck but I was so hungry that I shoved the entire piece in my mouth. He laughed about my behaviour, pulling me closer to him.

I rested my head on his strong shoulder, closing my eyes and enjoying the heat radiated by his body and the warmth of the wind.

"I've missed you so much, Jaina" Arthas spoke after a while.

"I've missed you too, Arthas" I responded and rested my hand of his left upper thigh.

"I should have never broken up with you. That was a mistake"

"Yes, it was a fatal mistake" I whispered and sat on Arthas' lap, wrapping my arms around his neck. I stared deep into his sky-blue eyes, my heart beat rapidly in my chest. He stared back, a small smile appeared on his lips.

"I shouldn't have purged Stratholme, I shouldn't have gone to Northrend and follow the path of vengeance. I had lost everything because vengeance had blinded me. I had doomed my people, I had murdered my own father, I had lost so much... And I had lost you" he said with a broken voice, tears ran down his cheeks. I felt so sorry for him. He had only tried to save his people. He had picked up Frostmourne with the intention to save the people of Lordaeron. In the end, his fierce determination had caused the death of his people and hundreds of thousand other innocent creatures. I knew he hadn't wanted this but the Lich King had forced him to do these horrible things.

"It is too late to change thinks... Where are we?" I asked and looked at him, holding his face in my hands.

"I don't know. Hopefully, in a better place"

"Is this the afterlife? Are we dead?" I asked curiously.

"I don't know but I don't care as long as we are together" he said with a slight smile on his lips.

"You are right. I don't care where we are as long as we aren't separated.

"I want to be together with you forever" I whispered, burying my face in his neck.

"I would love that" he responded and ran his fingers through my hair. His fingers were warm, soft and anything but unpleasant. We sat there, I thought about the good moments of our past while we cuddled. I was so lost in thoughts that I didn't notice that Arthas had taken his clothes off. I was only brought back out of my thoughts when something hard was pressing against the spot between my legs.

"OH, you want another round?" I asked with a wide smirk.

"Always, my love. Always"

"Well, we don't know how long we will be able to be together in this strange place. I guess we should use the time wisely" I whispered with an erotic voice. He smirked and I cried out when he entered me.

We made love until nightfall. We were laying on the ground, the soft grass was tickling our backs. A campfire enlightened our surroundings and roasted the meat of two rabbits. I snuggled up to Arthas, his body and the blanket were keeping me warm. Together, we were staring at the stars in the sky which were glowing brightly. We were holding hands, rubbing our feet and legs together and exchanged kisses and other caresses until we fell asleep.

I couldn't tell how much time had passed, how many days, weeks and years had passed since we had met each other in this strange place. I guessed that we had lived there for almost two decades because our child, which we had named after Arthas' former mentor Uther, had grown up to a mature young man. He had the same eyes like his father, the same blonde hair we had. He had Arthas' chin but he had my nose. Like his father, he had become a paladin, a weapon of the light.

Uther was our first child but he will not be our only child because I was expecting another. I had a good feeling that it will be a girl. I always wanted to have a daughter. I would love to raise her and train her to a powerful mage. Of course, we couldn't do the same things normal mothers and daughters could do like, go shopping, talking about boys and clothes and other stuff because we were the only persons in this strange place, meaning that where was no one with who we could interact or from who we could buy stuff. But I was pretty sure that we will have a lot of fun together.

Arthas and I had built a lovely house next to the lake in the first years. The lake and the forest behind it had offered us enough food and recourses to survive. Strangely, the trees seemed to regrow very fast on their own and the animals seemed to come back the next day. I could swear that we had eaten the same deer, with the significant birthmark in form of a blue coloured tuft of hair above the left upper thigh of his foreleg, for at least one thousand times.

Our daily routine was pretty simple. We woke up, made breakfast then Arthas trained with Uther while I was practicing on magic. After the dinner, Arthas and I were having a walk and spend time together. After the evening meal, we observed the beautiful sky with Uther until nightfall. Then Arthas and I went to our chamber and made love until we fell asleep.

Each day passed like the other but one day was different than the others. It all started with the sudden darkening of the sky although it was only midday. I had to create a long-lasting huge flame ball which enlightened our surroundings enough so that we were able to see something. The wind started to howl, which was odd because not the slightest breeze had blown during the past decades. The air turned from pleasantly warm to super cold and even the surface of the lake froze when snowflakes started to trickle from the sky.

I cast spells on Arthas, Uther and me to keep us warm. Suddenly, I heard evil laughter coming from nowhere and everywhere. I looked around, checking if I could see someone in the area. There was no one in the near but I felt three powerful and fearsome auras which were somewhere in the near.

I noticed a frostbolt, out of the corner of my eyes, which was flying towards me. I dodged at the last moment. I turned around and noticed two strange figures who were standing on the surface of the frozen lake.

One of them was a female who was wearing an outfit which was a combination of a blue skirt and upper body armour. The outfit exposed her cleavage and her belly. Her hair was as white as the bones of a skeleton, only a purple strand of hair stuck out of her white mane. I noticed that this woman looked similar to me. By closer looking at her, I noticed that she looked like an undead version of me. She was carrying a special wand which was made out of bones and had a huge blue crystal on its tip.

The other person was a man who was wearing dark grey armour and a massive helmet which covered most of his face and white hair. My eyes widened and my heart pounded when I recognized his face. It seemed that this man was an evil version of Arthas. He had the same facial features as Arthas only his skin colour was pale and his blue eyes glowed fearsomely. He was carrying a massive blade in which blue runes had been engraved. The blade had an aura, which was even worse and more fearsome than the auras of the two. I couldn't deny that this aura was frightening me and causing that a cold shiver ran down my spine. At least, I didn't show that I was afraid of these weird figures.

The woman, which seemed to be the evil version of me, was smiling at me as she came closer to us, the tip of her wand was pointed at me. Arthas stepped in front of me protectively and lifted his mighty war hammer Light's Vengeance.

I knew that he was ready to protect me and our son, no matter what it would cost. I appreciated his chivalry but it was far from being defenceless. I lifted my own wand, which had once belonged to my master Antonidas. The green crystal on its tip glowed when I created a protective barrier around us.

My evil version was looking at me, a small smile appeared on her icy-blue lips. The evil version of Arthas looked at us amused and walked until he was only a few feet away from the barrier. He regarded us, then he looked at the woman.

"Who are you and what do you want?" shouted my Arthas and made a brave step forward, showing them no signs of intimidating or fear. I didn't know if my Arthas was really fearless but I was sure that he would do everything to protect us. Uther lifted his own hammer, which looked similar to Light's Vengeance, and cast a blessing on us, causing that we were better protected against spells and attacks from these intruders.

The woman was silent, the man looked at us for an entire minute but didn't say anything either. He stepped right in front of the barrier, his smile became wider when the magic of the woman dissolved the barrier. My evil version cast another spell, a frostbolt which she aimed at me. Arthas didn't hesitate and caught this missile. The missile hit him in the chest, causing him to stagger backwards. I noticed that his armour was slightly damaged but, to my relief, Arthas' body was unscathed.

He was making a serious expression when he charged at the evil Arthas, a loud war cry escaped his lips when he thrust his hammer against the runeblade. The evil Arthas blocked the attack with ease, knocking my Arthas back with a precise counterattack. Our son charged at the evil Arthas and tried to hit him, unfortunately, without success. Arthas and Uther gave their best to hit the evil Arthas but he was too skilled and too fast for them, blocking and dodging almost all of their attempts. In the end, he got only hit a few times out of fifty attempts.

I could only stand there and watch them. I was playing with my hair and chewing on my nails while I regarded them nervously, my heart was beating rapidly in my chest. I knew I could help them. I knew that we could defeat the Lich King together but my body felt stiff and I wasn't able to move. Not even for a few inches. I was only able to turn my head a little, noticing that the evil version of me wasn't doing anything else except watching the fight. We were standing there, close to each other as if we were both frozen to the ground.

Finally, after a while, I was able to move my body again. I turned around and shot a fireball of medium size at the evil Jaina. She looked at the fireball, a small smile appeared on her lips when she created a barrier around herself which prevented that my technique harmed her. My heart started to beat even faster when I noticed the bored expression on her face. The look, she was giving me, was telling me that she believed that I was no match for her. I gritted my teeth, a frown appeared on my forehead when I prepared my next spell, a massive pyroblast.

Unfortunately for me, the evil Jaina found my plan out and countered my spell. A loud hiss escaped through my gritted teeth, my narrowed eyes watched her closely, trying to find out what she would be doing next. I expected that she would attack me but she didn't. Instead, she just stood there and regarded me with curiosity while I was focusing my power for my next attack.

Tongues of flames developed out of the little flames between my fingers, reaching out for the evil Jaina. But she wrapped herself in an ice-block and avoided my spell completely.

I didn't hesitate and attacked her again when the ice shattered around her and left her unprotected. An arcane blast hit her in the chest, causing that she staggered backwards. A small smile appeared on my lips when I recognized the surprised expression on her face.

I began with the casting of my next spell but she was faster and hit me with an arcane blast which contained more power than mine. I was flung through the air and landed hard on the ground. I tried to get up, my heart still beat rapidly in my chest so that I was fearing that it would explode or jump out of my chest. She appeared in front of me and sent me back to the ground with a forceful kick.

I noticed out of the corner of my right eye, that Uther laid on the ground. My worry and fear to lose my family increased when I recognized that Arthas' armour was damaged and covered by his own blood. He was fighting against his evil version but he didn't seem to have the smallest chance against him. In the next moment, the evil Arthas hit my Arthas with his cursed blade, leaving a yawning wound in his torso. He sent him to the ground, smiling evilly as he looked at me.

I tried to get up, wanting to help my family but this bitch shackled me to the ground. The shackles, which were made out of ice, were extremely cold and prevented that I could cast any spell. I wasn't even able to perform the simplest spell. I was not even able to create mirror images or an illusion. I felt that my power was drained out of my body slowly, same counted for my life essence. I was getting weaker and weaker over the time where the evil Jaina walked to my Arthas and started to torture him while I was forced to look at him.

She had created a sharp ice-splinter and thrust it slowly into Arthas' unprotected chest. I heard Arthas' painful screams but it felt that he and the others were miles away. My vision started to blur out and Arthas' screams became quieter.

I couldn't allow this. I couldn't allow that Arthas will be taken away from me. I couldn't allow that I lose the love of my life again. I had to do something. But what could I do? My power was almost completely drained out and the shackles prevented that I could move.

I didn't recognize the tears which ran down my cheeks. I didn't even notice that the tears froze before they reached my chin. I knew I couldn't help Arthas. I knew that I was losing him once again. I knew that we all will die.

No. Not this day. We won't die this day. Not, while I am alive. Suddenly, I felt a strange and enormous power rushing through my body. I didn't know the origin of this power. I didn't know why I was receiving this power. My brain was too slow to process what was happening but my body seemed to move on its own. Somehow, I managed to break the chains which had pinned me to the ground. I didn't know what was happening to me but I didn't really care as long as I could protect my family.

I stood up and walked toward the evil versions who were having their fun with my Arthas. I shot an arcane blast at the evil Arthas, knocking him away. He landed a few meters away on the ground and didn't stand up immediately, meaning that my spell had really hurt him.

The corner of my lips formed a small when I recognized the shock expression on my counterpart's face. I noticed that she was preparing a spell. I reacted quickly and countered it. I didn't hesitate and created tongues of flames, forming them to an extraordinary pyroblast. The pyroblast hit her and set her on fire. She tried her best to extinguish the fire but I countered all of her spells. She as screaming, crying out in pain but she couldn't do anything against the flames which consumed her and turned her to ashes. I looked at her powdery remains for a small moment, then I lifted my head and regarded the evil Arthas who was staring at me. He wasn't believing what had happened, his face was showing shock and even fear.

"You will pay for what you have done to my wife. Maybe not today but you will die eventually and replace her" he said, his voice, which sounded for the first time since he had appeared, was loud and thundering.

Suddenly, he started to dissolve quickly until he was gone. I ran to Arthas and Uther but before I could reach them, my vision started to blur out and the new power flowed out of my body. I fell to the ground, my body felt weak and heavy. No, this can't happen. I have to take care of Arthas' and Uther's wounds. I have to save them.

I tried to stand up. I tried to reach Arthas and help him but I was too weak. I couldn't do anything. I could only lay there and do nothing while I was slowly losing my consciousness.


	10. Awakening

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter for this year ( muhahaha). I wish you a happy new year. Enjoy the chapter.

_Lich King's POV_

"I can't sense her anymore!" I cried out and rose from my throne.

"What do you mean, master?" Kel'Thuzad asked confused, his blue glowing eyes regarded me curiously.

"Jaina... I can't feel her aura anymore nor can I talk to her through telepathy" I shouted out and rushed down the stairs in front of the Frozen Throne.

"You mean she is... No, there has to be another explanation for this. I don't think that the mortals had killed her..."

"Really? Tell me Kel, what happened to her then?"

"Err, I...She...Jaina..." he stuttered and made a small pause, a thoughtful expression appeared on his face.

"I can't feel her anymore, that can only mean that she is dead. The mortals had recognized that they can't save her anymore because she is loyal to me and would never betray me" I shouted and clenched my fists.

Rage overcame me. I couldn't think clearly. I couldn't stop myself from walking to Kel'Thuzad and lifting him in the air. I closed my fingers around his bony neck and throttled him. I should know that it wouldn't matter to him because he was undead and didn't need to breathe but I was so furious that I forgot about that and put a lot of pressure on his neck, almost breaking it. I threw him against the throne and climbed the stairs slowly.

The thought about having lost Jaina forever awakened an unknown side in me. A side which cared for someone else than myself. A side which could feel grieve and sadness. I didn't want to imagine a life without her, a life where I rule over Azeroth without her as my queen. I had plans for her. I had wanted to make her to my queen but now she was gone. She was truly dead because the mortals had killed her.

No, this was not only the fault of the mortals. Kel'Thuzad was also guilty and I will make sure that he will get his punishment so that he wouldn't dare to disappoint me again.

I stepped in front of my throne and lifted the trembling lich up. I stared in his eyes, his facial expression told me that he was really afraid what I was about to do. I walked to the edge of the platform, my hand was still enclosed around his throat. I looked down at the ground of the icy wasteland which a few miles beneath us.

"Please master. I didn't fail on purpose. I had tried my best to distract the dragons long enough but they were too powerful for me. Please, have mercy. I didn't want her to die. You have to believe me" wailed Kel'Thuzad and tried to get free but my grip was too strong.

"I don't know why you are whining Kel. I won't destroy your phylactery, so you will come back anyway. This will be a lesson to you. Don't you dare to ever disappoint me again" I said with a strict and fearsome voice and stared at the lich who was still trembling.

"I won't disappoint you again, master. I promise" Kel'Thuzad responded with a quiet, almost unrecognizable voice.

"Hopefully" I said but didn't put him on the ground. "Enjoy your punishment, Kel. I will end you next time if you disappoint me again". I looked at him one more time before I dropped him off the edge, watching him fall to the ground of the icy-waste land thousands of meters beneath me.

* * *

Jaina's POV

I opened my eyes but my vision was blurred. I heard quiet noises but couldn't assign if they were voices of persons or if these noises came from other sources. I stood up and stretched my arms out while I was walking forwards, trying to find out what was surrounding me. My hand touched something very soft and smooth. I grabbed at it, trying to figure out what it was. I felt that something hit my left cheek. I didn't notice what it was neither did I feel any pain.

My vision came back after a while and I noticed what was standing in front of me. Who was more fitting in this case because it was Vereesa who was standing in front of me, her cheeks were red and her arms were crossed in front of her chest. She wasn't looking at me and I could swear that she was blushing.

I turned around when someone cleared its throat, wanting to find out who it was. It was Ysera who was standing a few feet away from me. She was giving me a look which was a mix out of worry and curiosity. Whatever she had done to me had changed something in me.

My head felt empty. Normally, I would hear the Lich King's voice in my mind. But at this moment, neither did I hear him nor did I feel his strong aura. Normally, I could sense where he was and in which condition, he was but at this moment, I couldn't sense him anymore.

I didn't know what to say about the absence of the Lich King. It felt like a part of me was missing but at the same time, I felt free. Free from the Lich King, free from his presence and his commands. I felt as if I had been reborn as if I had awoken from a terrible nightmare. A nightmare, where I had slain thousands of my former allies and friends. A nightmare which had haunted me for a year.

"Jaina?" asked Vereesa. I could clearly hear the worry in her voice. I turned around and looked at her. She was still holding her arms in front of her chest as if she would try to hide something. She wasn't blushing anymore but she was a little intimidated by me.

"I'm here, Vereesa" I responded and made a small step forward. I thought that she would step away from me but, to my surprise, she stayed on her spot and allowed me to approach her. I stopped in front of her, the distance between our faces was only a few inches.

"Are you okay? I mean, are you yourself or are you still Arthas' plaything?" she asked quietly and struggled to keep eye contact with me. I was silent for a moment because I didn't know what I should answer. I didn't know what was happening to me. Was I free? Does the Lich King still influence me? Do I have a real free will? Do I still belong to the Scourge?

I stared in her eyes, my lips were parted as I was trying to form the right words in my mind.

"Jaina...?" she asked again, her voice told me that she was more worried than before.

Finally, I managed to form the right words in my mind and spoke them out. "I'm not sure but I guess I'm free"

"Does this mean that this bastard does not influence you?" she asked and came closer to me.

"I suppose yes... I can't hear his voice in my head nor can I feel his aura" I responded. Vereesa didn't hesitate and hugged me, wrapping her arms around my neck and resting her head on my shoulder. She pressed her upper body against mine, not fearing that I could stab her as I had done in Dalaran. She hugged me for over five minutes, a few tears ran down her cheeks. Ysera walked to us and regarded us with an amused expression and a happy smile on her lips.

"It had actually worked. I haven't assumed that putting you in the Emerald Dream would free you from his influence. I have watched you while you were trapped in the dream. It was not the Emerald Dream which freed you. It was you who found a way to get free from the Lich King's influence. Do you remember what had happened in your dream?" Ysera asked.

"Not really. I only remember bits and pieces. I saw Arthas, but not the Lich King. I saw the good Arthas before his horrible downfall. I fought against someone but I can't remember who it was" I answered and looked at Ysera who was still looking at me with curiosity.

"I have a question for you, Jaina"

"Er, sure ask me anything you want" I responded.

"Do you think that you are alive?"

"Am I? What? What do you mean?" I asked confused.

"I want to know if you think that you are alive"

"Are you serious? Of course, I am alive or I wouldn't be able to speak to you. This is not the afterlife, right?"

"Yes, this is not the afterlife, my dear" responded Vereesa.

"I don't get it. Are you trying to confuse me or why are you asking me this unnecessary question?"

"Look in a mirror" said Ysera, this time her voice and her face expressed worry.

I created a magical mirror and looked at my reflection. A shrill scream escaped my lips and the mirror fell to the ground, the glass shattered in hundreds of small pieces. I couldn't believe what I have seen. My reflection had looked like me with light blue skin and a purple strand of hair which decorated my white hair.

"What... What happened to me?" I stuttered and looked at Ysera.

"What was the last thing you remember?" asked Ysera.

"I was having dinner with Vereesa and Rhonin in Dalaran"

"And you don't remember anything that happened after the dinner? she asked.

"No, not really... What happened?" I asked curiously. I wanted to know what had happened. How could my appearance have changed so drastically? Why don't I feel my heartbeat? Why don't I have to breathe?

My body was feeling so weird as if it was not my own. It felt as if it was someone else's body. This body felt so awkward, I wish I could get another.

"A lot happened since you disappeared on a mission in Icecrown. That happened a year ago"

"A year ago? You mean that I've looked like this for a year? Tell me, what happened?" I demanded and looked at Ysera and Vereesa with narrowed eyes.

"Well... I don't know where I should start..." said Vereesa and looked nervously at her fingernails.

"The Lich King..." she started but suddenly stopped. She was trying to find the right words but failed at formulating the right sentences.

"The Lich King? Arthas? What is with Arthas? Did I manage to reach him? Does he fight for the good side again? Is he alive? I asked and put my hands on Vereesa's shoulders. I was about to shake her violently until she gave me answers but Ysera pulled me away and forced me to stare in her green eyes.

"Jaina... I wish I could say something else, I wish I could give you a positive answer but this wouldn't be the truth. The truth is that the Arthas you knew is gone. What remains is a horrible monster who didn't even hesitate and murdered the woman he had once loved so much and forced her to serve him. He killed you and made you to this... this thing, to this mindless killing machine. But now you are safe. He isn't influencing you anymore which means that you don't need to kill for him anymore. You are free and we will make sure that he will never lay hands on you again" said Ysera and pulled me in a tight hug, she put my head on her shoulders and rubbed my back softly.

"Promised?" I asked.

"Promised" she responded and kissed my forehead.

* * *

"Where are we going?" I asked and looked at Vereesa and then at the portal behind Ysera and Rhonin.

"We are going back to Stormwind" the dragon in shape of a night elf responded.

"Alright" I responded, not asking why we are going there because I trusted Vereesa and Ysera.

"We could put an illusion on you which would let you look like your former self" suggested Rhonin and came closer to me.

"No" I responded, noticing the raised eyebrow and the confused expression on his face. "I want that the members of the Alliance see me as I am"

"You know that they would stare at you and fear you if you walk around in this shape, right?" asked Vereesa.

"Yes, but I have to get used to their glances and they have to get used to my appearance. The Horde also accepted Sylvanas after she had done crimes under the control of the Lich King. Why should the people of the Alliance be less forgiving than the people of the Horde?" I asked and walked towards the portal.

"Okay, I will respect your wish but don't be surprised when people insult you or mistreat you. Of course, I will do my best to keep you safe but I can't predict what grieving and angry people could do when they see you"

"It's okay, Rhonin. I'm a big girl" I responded and walked through the portal.

I arrived in the throne room of Stormwind, Rhonin, Vereesa and Ysera appeared behind me. The throne room of the mighty main building of Stormwind hadn't changed at all. It was made out of white stones which were enlightened by the sunlight which came through the colourful and abstract windows in the domed roof. Guards were stationed in front of the massive doors, in the near of the plateau on which Varian's throne stood, and in front of large columns which propped up the dome.

Varian was sitting on his throne and regarded us with interest. The guards and the citizens, on the other hand, looked at me in shock. The guards raised their weapons and walked towards me but Varian told them to not do anything. The guards didn't hesitate and walked back to their positions. Varian stood up and walked to us, his face showed curiosity and thirst for knowledge.

"Is she...?" he asked and looked at Ysera, receiving a nod. He looked at me then at the guards and citizens who were still afraid of me.

"Follow me to my office. I want to talk in private with all of you" he said and looked at me as if he was asking for my permission. I nodded my head slightly and followed him to the corridor in the near of the throne. We walked through the long corridor which was guarded by at least two dozen soldiers. Most of them ignored me and didn't even looked at me but some of them gave me accusing stares. We came to a magnificent blue door after a walk of fifteen minutes. The door was guarded by five normal soldiers and one lieutenant. They bowed to the king and stepped away from the door, allowing us to enter the room.

The room looked different than I had remembered. It wasn't the messy office anymore in which dozens of books and documents were spread over the table and the floor, instead, it was very clean. In the middle of the room stood a large table on which three large stacks of documents were waiting for Varian's attention. The walls were decorated with a huge flag of the Alliance and a few beautiful paintings. One of these paintings was showing Varian's family, his son Anduin, his deceased wife Tiffin and him. Another painting showed the beautiful city of Stormwind.

The floor was covered by bear fur. Shelves filled with books stood in front of the wall to the right side but it seemed that no book had been taken out of it since a while. Varian guided us to the table and offered us to sit on the chairs in front of it. He sat down on his chair behind the table after we had taken our seats.

I immediately noticed a picture which looked familiar to me. I took the picture and regarded it. It showed Varian, Arthas and me in our youth. It had been taken during the Feast of Winter Veil in Stormwind, more than fifteen years ago.

I remembered that day. Varian had invited us to pay Stormwind a visit during the festive days. We had spent a lot of time together. We had talked, laughed together and had tasted a few specialties of Stormwind. Later that day, Arthas and I had sneaked away and had regarded the snowfall together while he had held me in his arms. He had flirted with me and we had shared a few kisses when nobody had been in our near. We had held hands and cuddled until Varian had found us again after a while. I had noticed during this festival that I had developed feelings for Arthas, strong and serious feelings. I was pretty sure that the festival had laid the foundation of our relationship.

A voice brought me back out of my thoughts. I blinked surprised and looked around, trying to find out who had spoken. It was Varian who was looking at me with a worried expression.

"Are you okay Jaina?" he asked and studied me.

"Yes... I'm fine, I was just... lost in thoughts" I replied and put the picture back on the table, turning it away from me so that I didn't have to look at it anymore.

"Ysera already told me that you are free but I still want to hear it from you" said Varian.

"Ysera is right. I feel no connection to the Lich King, nor do I hear his voice in my head. Unfortunately, I cannot remember what I have done under his influence"

"You have done a lot...", started Ysera, "But we cannot really blame you for this. Nobody, who is influenced by the Lich King, is able to disobey him. Everyone under his control serves him loyally. Only a small amount of his servants had managed to get out of his control. We can only be happy that you aren't under his influence anymore. Now you are with us and can help us to fight the Scourge"

"Would you do that?" asked Varian.

"I guess yes. I mean, I wouldn't help the Scourge. I don't know what I have done while I worked for the Scourge but I will do everything to compensate what I have done" I responded. I looked at Vereesa and Rhonin who were giving me approving nods then I looked at Varian and noticed the small smile on his lips. I knew that I had caused a lot of loss, pain and death for the Alliance and the Horde over the last year. I was just hoping that I could, somehow, make up for that one day. I will give my best and will try to help where I can. My current goal was to defeat the Scourge and make them pay for what they have done to me and the living creatures on Azeroth.

"That's good to know" responded Varian with a happy smile.

"How can I help?" I asked.

"For now, I want you to prove your loyalty by bringing Kul Tiras back in the Alliance. We need every ally we can get to fight the Scourge" Varian said.

"Are you sure that she is the best ambassador we can send to Kul Tiras? I'm not doubting her skills as an ambassador. I'm pretty sure she is capable of convincing ANY former ally of the Alliance to join us again but I'm not sure if she can convince THIS former ally to join us. Don't forget that she had to betray her father to make peace between the Alliance and the Horde. She had made sacrifices for the peace and I'm pretty sure that her mother wouldn't forgive her for that, at least not that easily. I would be wiser to send another ambassador to Kul Tiras" told Rhonin.

"I know that it would not be easy but I guess it's the best for Jaina. First of all, she can meet her family again and try to work out things. Second, I have no ambassador who is capable of dealing with Katherine Proudmoore and is not busy dealing with the Horde or other factions who would join us in the battle against the Scourge. If Jaina is still as good as she had been before her transformation, then I'm pretty sure that she will handle this"

"I'm thankful that you are trusting me, your majesty. I won't disappoint you" I responded and looked at him with a small smile on my lips.

"It's Varian. Please call me Varian. A lot of things may have happened during the past year but I still consider us as friends as long as you don't join the Scourge again"

"Don't worry, I won't" I responded and squeezed his left hand softly.

"Alright. Take a rest Jaina. I will tell a few of my men to get prepared for accompanying you for this mission"

"Thank you, Varian" I responded. I stood up as soon as he had dismissed me and left his office together with Vereesa, Rhonin and Ysera.

Kul Tiras. I hadn't expected to come to this place in the near future. It's not that I didn't want to visit Kul Tiras or my family. On the contrary, I would love to meet my family, I just didn't want them to see me like this. Even if I would have shown up in my living form, my mother still would have disliked me because I was responsible for my father's death.

Of course, I hadn't wanted him to die. I had just seen no other option than betraying him to guarantee the peace between the Alliance and the Horde. I had mourned for him and felt guilty since that day. My father had been blinded by his anger and hatred against the orcs so that he hadn't known who had been on the good side and who had been on the bad side. He had slain innocent orcs for that what her ancestors had done.

I had found peace with myself and had accepted that without his death, more innocent people would have been killed. I was not proud of my actions but I knew that I had done the right choice.

I arrived in front of Proudmoore Keep, the building in which my mother and my brother Tandred were living. It was larger than I had remembered. It was made out of grey stones, the roofs had a mint green colour and it was very, very tall. What stuck out was the massive tower in the middle of the building which was surrounded by smaller turrets and massive walls.

I looked around and spotted a lot of guards, who served for my mother, standing around the area and guarding the keep and the many staircases around it. The guards were wearing firm grey armour with green tabards on which our family crest was embroidered. The crest of my family was an anchor which was surrounded by a partly-spiked circle. They were carrying halberds, swords and other weapons which were deadly in the right hands. And these hands were the right ones. Every member of the guard of my mother belonged to the best fighters in Kul Tiras. Only the best of the best became a member of the Proudmoore guard.

These guards looked at me, obviously surprised by my sudden arrival and my look. I noticed a few citizens who were looking at me in shock, holding their hands in front of their widely opened mouths. Shocked and surprised sounds and gasps were quietly hearable.

Not far away from me, stood a young girl who was about seven years old. Her little eyes showed fear, she ran to her mother immediately and buried her head in her mother's dress, not wanting to look at me. The mother, who was about thirty years old, had the same shocked look on her face. I was pretty sure that she had admired me when I had been alive, the more she was shocked to see me like this.

I knew that a lot of people had stopped admiring me after they had heard what I have done to my father, to their admiral. Somehow, I knew that his woman had admired me even after my father's death. Until now at least. Now, she was looking at me, too stunned to shift her gaze away. I didn't dare to look back at her, instead, I looked at my blue fingernails and toyed with them nervously.

The leader of the guards, a bulky male with short brown hair and a moustache, walked towards me and my company. I thought he wouldn't talk to me and would talk with the highest member of my escort instead but he didn't. He stopped in front of me and scrutinized me curiously. He was silent for a few moments, then he spoke "Er...Lady Proudmoore...It's nice to see you alive...Sorry...I mean, it's good to know that you are not dead... not truly dead at least. We had heard about your soon arrival but we hadn't expected you to be here so soon"

"We came through a portal. That's the reason why we arrived so fast" I responded.

"Alright, Lady Proudmoore. If you would follow us, then I would bring you to your mother. I'm afraid that I can't say that your mother would be happy to see you, not after she had heard what happened to you and not after what had happened to your father... We have heard rumours about him killing innocents and that you only betrayed him because you wanted to stop the meaningless slaughtering but..." he said but I lifted my hand and signalized him that he didn't need to explain himself any further.

I told him that I was not angry that a lot of people saw me as a traitor, as a monster who had killed her own father. I told him that I was not happy about my father's fate, that I regretted my decisions but on the other hand I knew that I had done the necessary steps to preserve the peace between the Alliance and the Horde.

He nodded his head quickly and signalized me and my group to follow him. I didn't hesitate and did as he had told me. He brought us to the entrance of the keep which was guarded by at least twenty soldiers who were armed to the teeth. Their expressions were mixed, a few of them were looking at me in curiosity, a few of them looked at me furiously and the rest were looking at me with expressionless faces.

We entered the keep and spotted more guards who were standing on different positions in the entrance hall. The entrance hall consisted out of two levels which were connected through two arched staircases. Between these stairs stood a very large statue of my other brother Derek who died years ago.

I ignored the suspicious glances of the other guards and followed the leader with the name Marcus. He led us over one of the staircases to the second level which floor was covered by a long mint green carpet. Besides the carpet, no other decoration adorned the corridor. He brought us to the throne room where my mother, the legal ruler of Boralus, stood and talked to a servant. She didn't notice me or at least she pretended that she hadn't noticed me. Marcus brought us to her and stopped a few feet away from her.

My mother's appearance hadn't changed at all over the years. Her grey hair was made in a bun, her face showed creases and didn't hide her age of fifty. She wore an extravagant outfit which was normal for a member of a royal family. It was made out of the finest material and was decorated with golden shoulder plates and many golden buttons.

She finished speaking with the servant and then turned around to us, eyeing us. She scrutinized me for a while, none of us, not even the guards said anything. We stood there in silence for almost half an hour and did nothing except staring at each other. I wanted to say something, wanted to greet her, wanted to apologize for my father's death but no sound escaped my lips, neither did she say anything to me.

Finally, she broke the silence by asking Marcus "What does this _thing_ here? Why have you brought HER to this place?"

This thing? HER? Was she seeing me as some kind of an abomination?

"Sorry Lady Admiral but this is your daughter. King Varian has selected her as an ambassador for the Alliance" the female officer, who was leading my company responded.

"This thing is not my daughter. Jaina is dead, murdered by the Lich King because of her own foolishness. This bastard had not only taken her life from her but many other things too. Her heart, her innocence... Does this abomination look like an innocent person for you? Take your undead whore with you, I don't want to have her in the near of my city" My mother spat out, her words were full of hatred, anger and disgust.

I saw in her eyes that she would like to end my life with her own hands if she could. I was hurt by the way she acted but on the other hand, I hadn't expected her to react in another way. Of course, she wouldn't forgive me so easily what I have done in the past, not to mention what I have done as the Lich King's pawn. I could understand her reaction but it still hurts to see the mother, who had once loved me with all of her life, who would have done anything to protect me, hate me and wish that I would have never existed. Not only had I helped Rexxar to kill my father, but I also had helped him to kill the ruler of Boralus, the father of me and my brothers and the husband of my mother. I could understand very well that she truly hated me.

"I'm still your daughter" I said and looked in her grey eyes which glared furiously at me.

"What did you say?" she asked clear enough through gritted teeth.

"I'm still your daughter" I repeated. "I may look different now and I may have done a few things I regret now but that doesn't annulate the fact that you have given birth to me"

"I'm wishing I had never given birth to you, evil spawn" she hissed and stepped directly in front of me so that her face was only a few inches away from mine. I didn't want to show that I was intimidated by her but I couldn't stop myself from stepping away from her. I increased the distance between us until I stood a few feet away from her. In live, I had always admired my mother but I had also feared her a little. I didn't know why but at this moment I was fearing her even more than I was fearing the Scourge and the Lich King.

I didn't even need to look closely at the others to see that they are shocked about my mother's rash words. I had expected that she would be angry, I just hadn't expected that she would be that angry and would hate me that much. I looked at my feet because I was too afraid to look in her eyes.

"No child, especially none of mine would kill her own father. I have always known that there was a monster in you and now you even look like one" she hissed and spat at me, her salvia hit my shoes.

"I didn't kill him" I responded quietly, still not daring to look at her.

"What did you say?" she asked irritated.

"I didn't murder him" I said loud enough so that she could understand it while I looked in her eyes. Tears were forming in the corner of my eyes and ran down my cheeks.

"You DID murder him"

"No, I didn't" I cried out and bit my bottom lip.

"Alright, you may have not murdered him but you are also responsible for his death. You are not better than the orc who slew him. He was your father and my husband and the love of my life. Without you, he would never have been killed by these wicked creatures"

"My father died because he sought an unnecessary fight against the Horde. He thought that the members of the Horde were the same people who had invaded Azeroth for the first time. The Horde is not our enemy but my father was blinded by his anger and hatred so that he wasn't able to differentiate the good side from the bad side"

"LIES" my mother cried out and stepped forward. Her eyes glowed furiously.

"No, it's the truth. I have assisted the Horde to kill him but I only did it because I saw no other way to prevent that the Horde and Alliance will be going to war against each other. I tried to talk to him, to convince him to not fight the Horde but he insisted on not sparing the members of the Horde. In the end, his stubbornness killed him" I responded with a broken voice.

My mother gritted her teeth. "Grrh, stop spreading your lies you stupid whore" she screamed and slapped me so hard in the face that I staggered backwards and fell on the ground. She jumped on me and would have hit me again if Marcus wouldn't have pulled her away. He excused his intervention and let her go as soon as she had calmed down

"Fine, the Lich King's whore may stay here but don't expect that I would talk with her or negotiate with her" she said and looked at Marcus. "Make sure that she will have a room where she can stay as long as she wants. Make sure that she won't get in my sight as long as I don't want to see her. Only bring her to me when I ask for her"

"As you wish, my Lady" Marcus said and bowed to her. Two of my mother's personal guards grabbed me and dragged me to the corridor on the left side of the room. They brought me to a room, opened the door and threw me in. They looked at me one more time before they closed the door and locked the room from outside.


	11. Reencounter

_Lich King's POV_

"Master? Is everything all right?" a voice asked me. I turned my head to find out who was talking to me. It was Blood Queen Lana'thel who was standing in front of the stairs to my throne and looked at me. I recognized that her face showed worry.

"Yes...Everything is alright. Why shouldn't it be?" I asked and barely looked at her.

"Are you sure?" she asked, doubt was clearly hearable in her voice and was written in her face.

"Why are you asking me this, Lana'thel?"

"You haven't moved from your throne since you have heard about Lady Proudmoore's death. You haven't ordered a new campaign or assisted a campaign with additional troops for five weeks" she explained.

"Five weeks, are you serious? It had felt like only a few hours had passed" I said and looked at her, noticing that she was even more worried than before.

"Yes, five weeks had passed. I have conquered the Howling Fjord as you had commanded. Kel'Thuzad had taken care of the area of Zul'Drak and gave the promised areas to the Drakkari trolls"

"We have conquered two more territories. That's good" I said quietly and stared at a random spot in the air.

"We are waiting for new orders, master" Lana'thel replied and bowed to me.

"Do you know where the dragons are right now after we have taken control over Alexstrasza's temple?"

"Normally, they should be in the Emerald Dragonshrine a few miles in the south of Wyrmrest Temple but our spies had told me that they hide in the north of Kalimdor, in Ashenvale to be exactly" she explained.

"The dragons and the mortals will pay for killing my queen. Lana'thel, make sure that they will witness the true wrath of the Lich King. Let them suffer for what they have done to Jaina"

"As you wish, my master. Do you have any other wishes, I could fulfil for you?" she asked curiously and stood up, looking directly at me.

"Take your daughter with you on this mission and free the Soul Collector. He will make sure that our enemies will suffer" I said and stood up.

"The Soul Collector? Are you sure that this is the right moment to reveal our biggest trump card? I thought that you wanted to free him when we attack Stormwind. I hadn't expected that you would free him so soon. Is he even ready for a real battle?" she asked worriedly. I walked down the stairs and reached her, stopping directly in front of her. I caressed her cheek softly and gave her a small smile.

"Don't worry. He is more than ready" I replied and walked a few steps away from her, turning my back to her.

"It's your decision, master. If you command me to free him then I will do it without hesitation"

"Free him" I responded. I saw out of the corner of my eyes that she nodded and bowed to me. She got up, walked past me and disappeared through the teleporting platform.

I walked to one of the icy columns and regarded my reflection in it. My appearance hadn't changed at all but somehow, my behaviour had changed and I couldn't explain why. I couldn't believe that I had been inactive for weeks because Jaina's death had affected me so much. I didn't even know if she was truly dead. But somehow, I felt it. I felt her absence and I didn't like the emptiness I felt in me. I felt like I wasn't complete, like a part of me was missing.

She wasn't under my influence anymore. It was impossible to free her from my influence. It was impossible for Jaina to resist my commands. I couldn't sense her anymore and couldn't speak to her anymore which could only mean that she was dead.

The question was, what will I do next? Jaina was dead, which meant that the last fragments of my hopes and dreams were shattered. My world was nothing without her but I had to move on. I had to conquer Azeroth and make the mortals pay for what they have done to Jaina. I will need to find another queen one day, although I hated the thought of taking another woman as my queen, another woman who wasn't Jaina. Lana'thel and Selania were the only fitting candidates for the co-ruler of the Scourge but I hated the thought of marrying one of them. Jaina was and will ever be my only true queen but now where she was gone, I had no idea what to do.

There was no way I would ever be happy again, so my only choice was to push the campaigns in Northrend and attack Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms as soon as every territory in Northrend belongs to me. I will make sure that the mortals will pay for having destroyed my hopes and dreams.

* * *

_Jaina's POV_

It was weird to be in my old room again. I had been there for five weeks without someone asking for me or coming to me. The guards had locked me into my room and hadn't even talked to me or had answered my questions. I was wondering if my mother would ever want to talk to me or if she locks me in this room forever. I want to make the relationship with my mother better but I also want to prove Varian, Vereesa and the others that I was on their side. Of course, being locked in forever made it impossible to achieve my goals, not to mention that I would like to spend my time better than sitting in my room and remembering old memories.

I stood up from my bed, which was covered by a blue blanket, and walked to my desk. I sat on the chair and opened a drawer, pulling opened envelopes out of it. These letters weren't as many as those I had in a drawer in Dalaran. Like the ones in Dalaran, these five letters were all letters from Arthas, which he had written to me over the years before his transformation. I had moved to Dalaran when I had been very young and had started to study magic. That meant that Arthas had sent a lot of his letters to the magical city. He had only sent letters to Kul Tiras when I had told him that I was visiting my parents over the vacations.

I took one letter out of its envelope and unfolded it. I read the lines slowly and carefully, finding myself smiling about some of these corny lines. I shook my head slightly and laughed when I read over those lines where he had tried to impress me with his skills. Of course, it had sounded like a boast back in the days but I had loved him for this, for his characteristics and quirks.

The entire letter was about his growing skills with weapons, his missions outside of the capital city of Lordaeron and how much he missed me and admired my beauty, my smile and my laugh. My smile became wider when I read over the last lines where he had written that he was thinking at me during every free minute. I regarded the letter for a few moments before I placed it on my desk and took the next letter.

A knock on my door was hearable when I was about to finish the fourth letter. I didn't hesitate and put the letter aside, although I wasn't finished with reading it. I stood up from the chair and walked to the door. I was about to open it when I remembered that it was locked from outside. I stepped backwards and told the person to come in.

I heard the rustling of a bunch of keys and the noise made when a door was unlocked. The door opened slowly and a familiar head looked through the slit between the door and the doorcase. My eyes widened in surprise and my heart would have beaten faster if I still would have been alive when I recognized who the person was.

It was my brother Tandred who I hadn't seen in a while. He had become taller and more muscular since the last time I had seen him. Like my mother, he was wearing noble clothes which were coloured in blue and decorated with gold. His blond hair was short and his face was covered by a full beard.

His blue eyes were widened in shock and surprise as he scrutinized me. He looked at me for a few minutes, not saying anything. I wanted to say something to him, apologize to him for the death of our father but no sound came out of my lips. To my surprise, he was the one who spoke first as he hugged me. "Jaina, it's good to see that you are still among us... I'm sorry to say that but you look horrible"

"I know, thanks for your honesty. I have to say that I don't completely detest this look but I still prefer being alive and look like a living person and not like a mindless zombie". I said and hugged him too.

He pulled back and said "I can't believe that Arthas has done this to you. I thought he had loved you. This doesn't make sense at all.

"I know Tandred, I know. I guess he has another definition of love or at least his love doesn't stop with death. I mean he hadn't needed to raise me. He hadn't raised Uther or his father. Maybe he hadn't raised them because the Lich King hadn't fully controlled him then. But he had raised me for some reason. Maybe because he still loves me, who knows"

"Killing the love of his life and turns her to a servant of the Scourge, sounds like a very weird definition of love. Do you...? Do you still have feelings for him?" he asked and looked at me curiously.

"Yes, I do. I still believe that the good Arthas still exists in the Lich King. I only have to reach him, somehow"

"Good luck with that, sister"

"Thank you, brother"

"Mother still hates you, doesn't she?"

"Yes, she does. Who would blame her? I have done unspeakable things. I have assisted in the murder of our father" I responded and looked away from him, tears were running down my cheeks.

"Hey... It's okay" he said and embraced me, resting my head on his shoulder. "At first I was mad at you when I had heard about your role in father's fate. Later, a soldier of father's army had told me about his behaviour, his actions and his motivations. He had told me that you had tried to make peace between the Horde and the Alliance. He had told me that father had killed innocent people. I wouldn't have done the same as you have done but I can understand your decision although that means that we had lost another member of our family"

He held me for a few minutes, his words and his presence comforted me. I wiped the tears out of my eyes.

"I'm glad that you are not against me. I wouldn't bear the hatred against me from another member of our family" I whispered and sat on my bed.

"I don't think that mother will change her point of view soon, not without help at least. I can try to talk to her. Hopefully, she will listen to me"

"Thanks, Tandred, that would be sweet"

"Why are you here anyway? What brings you back to Boralus?" he asked curiously.

"Varian had asked me to negotiate with our mother. He wants Kul Tiras back in the Alliance, or at least he wants our mother's support. The Alliance and the Horde need every support, every ally which is available or we won't be able to defeat the Lich King" I explained.

"So, you want to fight the Lich King?"

"Of course, I do, I can't do nothing when hundreds of thousand people die because of his wrath. We will beat him and find a way to free Arthas out of the Lich King's control. The Mother of Dreams had managed to free me from that nightmare. I'm pretty sure that she will be able to free Arthas too. I'm hoping that at least"

"I'm hoping that for you too, my dear sister"

"Thanks, Tandred. It means a lot for me that you are still on my side, even after I had become an abomination as our mother likes to call me"

"No Problem, Jaina. I will go now and talk with mother. Hopefully, she will change her mind and talk to you. You two have to clear things up"

"Yes, we have to"

"See you soon, sister"

"See you soon" I responded and gave him a smile. He smiled back and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him which was immediately locked by the guards.

A few weeks passed where nothing had happened at all. I was forced to stay in my room and could do nothing except reading a few books or passing the time by remembering old memories. I couldn't even practice on magic because the room had been enchanted and prevented that I could use any form of magic. All in all, I had no other choice than staying in my old room, hoping that Tandred will be able to convince our mother that I was not their enemy and that I hadn't done all these things in the past without immediately regretting them.

Being there was so boring. I wish that Arthas would be there. The real and good Arthas and not the shadow of his former self. I missed Arthas so much. I missed his cheeky smile, his cocky attitude, his sky-blue eyes, his long blond hair and many other characteristics. For now, he was gone for me until I find a way to reach him. We have to capture the Lich King and try to free Arthas with the same method Ysera had freed me.

Suddenly, the door opened and Varian stepped through it. I knew immediately, by the look of worry on his face, that something had happened. I stood up from my bed and approached him. "Tell me, Varian. What happened?" I asked and looked worried at him.

"The Scourge wants to attack Ashenvale"

"Ashenvale? Are you serious? The Lich King hasn't even regained the control of all territories in Northrend. Why should he attack Kalimdor now? That doesn't make sense at all" I exclaimed.

"I know that this sounds weird but scouts had spotted a very large army which is walking towards Ashenvale"

"We have to defend it. Tens of thousands of night elves would die if the Scourge overrun this land"

"I know, that's why I am here. I need your help. I know that you are trying to negotiate with your mother but she is too stubborn to listen to you. That's why I will send someone else to Kul Tiras who will talk with her. You, on the other hand, will be needed in Ashenvale" responded Varian.

"You want me to assist the defence?" I asked curiously.

"Yes, you will assist Tyrande Whisperwind and Malfurion Stormrage. This territory shall not fall"

"As you wish, Varian. I will set off immediately"

"Wait a second, Jaina"

"As you wish" I responded and looked at him curiously. He clapped his hands and one of his soldiers entered the room. My eyes widened in surprise when I recognized what he was carrying. It was the wand the Lich King had gifted me after he had raised me.

"You will need this" said Varian and handed me my wand. I took it out of his hands and regarded it. My hands caressed the long, out of bones made, shaft and I regarded my reflection in the blue crystal on the wand's tip.

"Thank you" I said quietly and enclosed my right hand around it.

"I will join you in the battle later. For, now I will collect enough forces to defend Ashenvale. Take care of yourself Jaina. I don't want to lose you to the Scourge again"

"I will take care of myself but I'm glad that you are worried about me and don't treat like I would be an abomination" I said and hugged Varian. He returned the hug and looked at me for a short moment before he turned around and left the room. I waited a moment before I walked out of the room and started to create a portal as soon as I noticed that the magic was coming back to me and rushed through my body. I spotted Varian who was going through a portal with his men. I closed my eyes and focused my thoughts on Ashenvale. I walked through it as soon as it was open. I looked around as soon as I arrived in Ashenvale.

I arrived in the town known as Astranaar. It was a small but beautiful place in which about one thousand night elves, worgen and draenei lived. The town's inhabitants regarded me with suspiciousness at first, especially the elder creatures didn't seem to be pleased by my arrival. I ignored them and walked to a familiar person. Tyrande Whisperwind came towards me as soon as she noticed me. I didn't miss the shocked and surprised expressions of the night elves when they saw that their leader hugged me.

"I'm glad that you made it" said Tyrande and invited me to follow her. I didn't hesitate and followed her to the main building of the town. The guards bowed to Tyrande and let us pass without asking questions.

We walked through the main hall of this beautiful building which was made out of ancient wood. We climbed the stairs on the other side of the hall and came to the second floor. I spotted Malfurion and Shandris Feathermoon standing around a circular shaped table which was covered by a large map with figures and many documents. I walked to the table and recognized that the figures were distinguished in three groups with different colours.

The blue figures stood for the Alliance which military bases were spread all over the entire area. The red figures represented the troops of the Horde which were stationed in Hellscream's Watch, in the west of Ashenvale, and in Splintertree Post which was located in the east. The grey figures represented the Scourge which had conquered Zoram'Gar Outpost. This base had once belonged to the Horde and was located in the very west of Ashenvale.

I greeted Malfurion and Shandris and they greeted me back.

"So, I guess that you have already made a plan or have ideas for a plan?" I asked and looked at the three night elves.

"We have no idea where they will attack first so we don't know where to concentrate our troops. We don't even know if they want to attack one target or more at the same time" explained Tyrande while she stared at the map.

"Have you thought about trying to find their plans out?" I asked.

"You mean with spies? Yes, we tried. Unfortunately, they had detected all of them and killed them"

"Then send someone who is dead like them. An undead person wouldn't attract attention. The hordes of undead wouldn't notice the spy. They would think that this person would be one of them" I responded.

"We don't have a lot of undead people who are loyal to us. You know that most members of the Alliance refuse to work with the undead, even with those who aren't loyal to Arthas" responded Shandris.

"Then send me"

"Excuse me?" shouted Shandris and looked at me with a worried and surprised expression.

"Of course, I would change my appearance with an illusion before I would go to Zoram'Gar Outpost so that they don't recognize me and wouldn't inform the Lich King. I will try to find out what they are planning and inform you as soon as I have the information"

"That's not a bad idea, as long as your illusion works" commented Malfurion.

"Don't worry, it will work as long as I don't attack anyone"

"Hopefully. I don't want to see you getting caught by them and getting under the Lich King's control again. It had been difficult to lure you away from the Lich King and free you from his influence. It would be impossible to do it a second time" said Tyrande and looked at me with a worried expression.

"What do you mean? I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Do you remember the night elf mage which had joined the Scourge months ago?"

"You mean Vissia?"

"Yes, I mean her"

"Of course, I remember her. She was my only friend in Icecrown"

"Vissia was one of us. We had cast a very powerful illusion spell on her which had let her look like a member of the Scourge. Her task had been to infiltrate the Scourge and find a way to lure you away from the Lich King. We staged her capturing, hoping that you would do everything to rescue her. You had come to Wyrmwrest Temple as we had hoped, then we had captured you and freed you" explained Tyrande.

"Ah, now I understand. I had always asked myself why she had offered me tea every time we had met although she should have known that the undead creatures don't need to eat or drink. So, Vissia Leafdancer had pretended to be my friend because she wanted to free me. That was a very good plan"

"Thank you" Tyrande said. "Vissia didn't pretend that she was your friend. She had told me after the mission, that she really likes you and that she hopes that we can help you"

"Where is she right now?"

"She is in this town. You can look out for her and talk with her if you want. We could also send her with you and you can scout the enemy base together" suggested Malfurion.

"That would be awesome" I responded and gave them a small smile.

"Good, then look for her and come to us with her. We will talk with you about the details of your mission as soon as you are back with her"

"Alright" I responded and nodded my head. I waved my hand quickly and turned around, walking to the stairs. I left the building quickly and started my search for Vissia. I found her after almost an hour.

She was sitting in front of a fountain and was praying to the moon goddess Elune. I waited until she was done with praying and walked to her. She stood up as soon as she noticed me, her eyes widened in joy and her lips formed a happy smile. She wrapped her arms around my upper body and hugged me tightly. I could swear that, if I would have been alive, I wouldn't have gotten any air because she was hugging me so tightly. She let me go after she had held me for almost five minutes, then she looked at me shyly, her cheeks were reddened.

I regarded her with a small smile on my lips. I had to admit that her real appearance looked even more beautiful than her undead appearance. She had long silver coloured hair, light purple, almost pink skin and beautiful white glowing eyes. She was wearing green robes and a magical wand hung on her back.

"So, this is your real appearance, right? I have to say that you look very beautiful, Vissia" I said and caressed her cheeks softly.

"Th...Thank y...you" she stuttered nervously and looked at her feet. I chuckled and lifted her chin with my hand, forcing her to look at me.

"I'm glad that you have freed me from the Lich King's control. I'm happy that you haven't pretended to be my friend. I'm glad that you have become my friend and I'm hoping that we will be able to spend a lot of time together in the future"

"That would be awesome" she responded and gave me her sweetest smile. I pressed my lips against her forehead, chuckling when I noticed the embarrassed but cute expression on her face. She pricked the tip of her shoe in the ground bored a little hole when I toyed with her hair.

I wrapped my arm around her waist and dragged her along with me to the main building. The people were looking at us with surprise and amusement written in their faces. Some of them looked suspicious at us while most of them were happy that I was on their side again and got along with a member of their race. Vissia and I walked to the main building together and followed the course of the hall to the stairs which would bring us to Tyrande and the others.

Tyrande gave us an amused smile and chuckled when she saw us having wrapped an arm around the other, not wanting to let the other go.

"I'm glad that you have found a new friend while you had to suffer in the Lich King's domain"

"I'm very happy to consider her as my friend. Without her, I would still serve the Lich King and would slaughter innocent people in his name. I can't undo what I have done in the last year but at least I can do as much as I can to defeat the Scourge" I responded and kissed Vissia's forehead quickly. I knew, without needing to look at her, that she was as red as a tomato at this moment.

"We are glad that you are with us again. It would be pretty hard to defeat the Scourge while the Lich King would force you to fight against us" said Tyrande.

"I'm glad too that I'm on your side again. So, how does your plan look like? How will we proceed?

"We will send you two and a few death knights of the Horde to Zoram'Gar Outpost. The death knights will take care of you while you try to find you what Arthas is planning. We need to know where and when he will attack us and with how many forces. We also need to know the exact number of his troops which were stationed in Ashenvale and in the territories around it" told Shandris.

"And what will you do?" I asked.

"We will gather as many fighters as we can and prepare our defence. Maybe we can attack Zoram'Gar, depends on many soldiers the Lich King had brought to Ashenvale. The dragons need to rest and their wounds need to heal. They will help us for sure but they can't help us right now. We have to hold out until the dragons are ready to fight again" explained Shandris.

"Sounds like a good plan. When will the mission starts?"

"Tomorrow. I know that you don't need to rest but Vissia needs some. She also needs supplies. Don't forget that she needs to eat and drink so you have to make sure that nobody sees you when she consumes these necessary meals. It was a wonder that nobody in Icecrown Citadel had spotted her consuming food and drinks over months. Hopefully, you won't get noticed by the Scourge" said Malfurion.

"We will do our best. For the Alliance!" I said.

"For the Alliance!" Tyrande, Malfurion and Shandris said at the same time. They nodded their heads and waved their hands after I had wished them a good night.

I took Vissia's hand and walked with her out of the main building. She took the lead and guided me to a small hut. The hut was made out of beautiful white stones, the roof was covered by purple tiles and little flowerbeds were laid out between the fence and the front door. All in all, it was a very beautiful small house.

Vissia unlocked the door and signalized me to walk in. I gave her a smile and entered her house. The entire house was similarly furnished like her room in Icecrown Citadel. It was adorned with many paintings, carpets, flowers, beautiful furniture and other lovely and expensive decorations.

I looked through a small window and noticed that night had already fallen. I was wondering why I hadn't noticed it earlier. Maybe because I had been too busy with enjoying Vissia's presence that I hadn't regarded our surroundings.

She guided me to her bedroom, telling me while she blushed, that she had no guest room and no couch on which I could sleep on. I told her once again that I didn't need to sleep because I was dead. Her blush returned when she recognized that she had forgotten again that I was not alive.

I ran my fingers through her hair and told her that everything was alright. I was wondering how she had managed to cover for so long that she was not dead. I was wondering how I hadn't noticed that she had been alive when we had spent time together in Icecrown Citadel. I guess she had eaten and had slept when I hadn't trained her.

I was also wondering why the Lich King hadn't noticed anything. First of all, he should be able to see everything that happened in his realm and someone should have noticed over the months that Vissia had hidden supplies in her room. It seemed that she had found a way to smuggle these supplies in her room. I was glad that she had managed to survive these months without getting noticed. I wouldn't have been freed if she would have been exposed. Vissia was a very weird but also lovable person and I was glad to consider her as my friend. Although she forgot all the time that undead creatures don't need to eat, drink and sleep, she had managed to remain unexposed in the Frozen Hell, also known as Icecrown Citadel. That sounded easier than it was because the Lich King saw almost everything. I had to admit that Vissia was a very special and remarkable person.

I told Vissia that I would watch over her and think about our mission while she would take a rest. She nodded and asked me to look away. I wanted to ask her why I should look away but I found out quickly that she wanted to change for sleeping.

I turned away and waited until she told me that I can look at her again. She was wearing a long, purple coloured nightgown which covered her entire body but exposed her cleavage. She blushed when she noticed my staring. I gave her a small smile and walked to her, kissing her forehead softly. She blushed even more and looked at her feet immediately. I giggled and caressed her cheek, wishing her a good night. She thanked me and walked to her bed. She laid down and covered her body with her blankets then she rested her head on the pillow and watched me until she fell asleep.


	12. Undercover in the ranks of the Scourge

_Jaina's POV_

"Good morning" I said when I noticed that Vissia had woken up. She didn't respond at first, seeming to be very tired. She got up and stretched herself then she looked at me and greeted me. She gave me a small smile and got out of her bed. Her nightgown had slipped away a little so that more of her cleavage was exposed. I told her that and chuckled when her face became red like a tomato. She turned around and fixed her nightgown then she walked to her wardrobe. She fished a green robe out of it and told me to turn around.

I did as I was told and looked away from her. I turned back to her when she told me that she was done. I had to admit that this robe looked great on her. I knew she was a powerful mage and, in this robe, she really looked like one.

She gave me a shy smile when she walked past me to the kitchen. She came ten minutes later with two plates and two cups back. I smacked her forehead playfully when I reminded her that I was dead. It was useless to remind her that dead creatures didn't eat because she forgot it every time. It was a real wonder how she could have stayed unnoticed in Icecrown Citadel for so long.

She sat down and stared at her fingernails, obviously embarrassed that she had forgotten it again. This girl was a real riddle for me. She was a cute and a loveable person on one hand but on the other hand, she was very clumsy and sometimes a danger for herself. I was hoping that she wouldn't make such a dumb mistake in front of a member of the Scourge. I didn't want to see her get killed. She was a very good friend for me and I didn't want to lose her.

Vissia ate her breakfast quietly and drank her tea. I watched her, a smile appeared on my lips when I noticed that she was looking back at me. We didn't say anything. We just sat there and looked at each other until she was finished.

She got up and brought the plates and cups back to the kitchen. She returned to me and asked me if I was ready to go to Tyrande and the others. I nodded and took her hand, guiding her out of her own house. She locked the front door before we walked to the main building.

It was early in the morning, meaning that only a few creatures were already awake, mostly traders and shop owners. We greeted them when we passed them, receiving small smiles and amazed expressions in return.

The guards in front of the main building greeted us too. We greeted them back and walked to the staircase at the other side of the hall. We arrived on the second floor and spotted Malfurion and Shandris who were talking about various strategies. Tyrande entered the room through another door at the same moment. She greeted her husband and their adoptive daughter, then she walked to us and hugged us. She kissed my forehead softly and gave me a small smile.

"Good morning, you two"

"Good morning, Tyrande. How are you doing?" I asked and looked at the three night elves in front of me.

"Well, we have our differences in opinions about what we should do against the Scourge but I'm pretty sure that we find a solution which is accepted by everyone" she told.

"I wish I could help you but we have to go soon. Is our escort ready?" I asked.

"Yes, they are waiting behind the building. They had already put their covers on. Speaking of covers, would you two show us yours?" Tyrande asked and looked at us curiously.

"Of course" I responded and pulled two potions out of my bag. I handed one of them to Vissia and removed the plug of the other. I regarded the purple liquid. I knew that my body would absorb the magical liquid although my digestive system didn't work anymore since my death. I swallowed the liquid and closed my eyes.

A sudden wave of heat rushed through my body, my skin started to tingle, my forehead felt extremely hot and head felt like it would explode the next moment. These weird feelings lasted for an entire minute. I opened my eyes as soon as my body acted normal again. I walked to the mirror on the opposite side of the room and regarded myself.

I had the appearance of an elf who had been young when she had died. I had short green hair, a small but cute nose, red glowing eyes and big lips. I was more than a head smaller. In total, I was about five and a half feet tall which was pretty solid for a woman. I was wearing a dark robe which covered most of my body. I lifted my neckline a little so that I could regard my body beneath the robe.

It was not that well-preserved as my original body. Parts of bones were visible through the holes in my friable grey skin. All in all, I was satisfied with this body. My new appearance wasn't too conspicuous, the traces of decay in my face let me appear like an average servant of the Scourge. Only the death knights and those who were favoured by the Lich King, like Selania or I, had gained enough power from the Lich King. Because of this power, our bodies didn't decay and remained well-preserved.

I turned around and looked at Vissia who looked like a warlock and wore a mask made out of bones. She wore a lot of rings, decorated by jewels in different colours, on her bony fingers. Her entire body was wrapped up by a similar dark robe and she was carrying a wand in her left hand. The wand's tip was decorated by a skull of a devilsaur which eye sockets were stocked with red glowing jewels.

We looked at each other for a few moments before we turned around and looked at the three night elves who were observing us with curiosity and amazement.

"I guess this cover will be good enough but the appearance is not everything you need to hold out in the enemy base" Tyrande said and handed me a scroll.

"What is this?" I asked and regarded the scroll.

"This scroll was made by our best inscription trainer. This scroll contains direct orders from the Lich King which commands you to plan the campaign in this area with the leader of the Zoram'Gar Outpost. I hope that nobody notices that this scroll is fake. I don't think that the Scourge would prove it if its fake or not, at least I hope they don't do it. If they notice that its fake then try to escape and come back to us as fast as possible" explained Tyrande.

"Thank you" I said

Tyrande laughed amused. "You don't need to thank me. I need to thank you because you want to go on this mission and risk your life. You risk getting detected and be controlled by the Lich King again. I am the one who should thank you"

"No, you don't need to. I did a lot of crimes and I will do everything to compensate them"

"You shouldn't blame yourself. The Lich King had influenced you and forced you to serve him like every other servant. I'm glad that you will help us and I hope that you will be successful in this mission and in future missions"

"Thank you, Tyrande. That means a lot for me" I responded and stared in her eyes. She gave me a small smile and approached me, wrapping her arms around me and kissing my forehead softly. She stepped back from me and regarded me one more time.

"Now go, we don't have much time left. We don't know when the Scourge will attack us. We can't allow wasting more time. I hope you will return safely and bring us enough useful information" said Tyrande and stroke my shoulders.

I gave her a small and mimicked her gesture.

Vissia took my hand and guided me out of the main building. We walked around it and spotted a group of disguised creatures which looked like servants of the Scourge. They looked at me then they looked at a spot above me. I turned around and saw Tyrande who was standing behind a window and was giving the group a confirming nod.

The leader of the group, who was disguised as a necromancer, greeted me and told me that the group was ready. I greeted him back and told the group to follow us. They nodded their heads and started to move as soon as I had started moving. We walked for a while until we met the first patrolling group of the Scourge in the middle of a forest.

The group consisted out of five ghouls and one skeleton which was wearing heavy armour. It was carrying a massive sword on its back which was almost as tall as itself. Unlike most of the skeletons, it had red glowing eyes which stared at me. The skeleton's gaze felt very unpleasant as if its eyes would look through me.

"Victory for the Lich King" said the skeleton, with a voice which sounded like a cracking door. He observed me and my group closely.

"All might for the Scourge" I shouted back and saluted to him.

"Who are you and what are you doing here? Nobody had told me that another group would be wandering through this forest"

"My name is Vivienne Mortalbreaker and this is Nathalia Shadowsinger" I said and pointed at Vissia. "The Lich King has ordered us to help the commander of the Zoram'Gar Outpost with the preparations of the battle".

I showed him the scroll. He took it and unfolded it, reading it carefully.

"Alright, I will bring you to the base" he said and gave me the scroll back. I put it in my bag and gave the skeleton a nod. He turned around and signalized us to follow him. We did as we there told and walked with him for a while until we reached the Outpost.

It was a very large base which was surrounded by the sea and massive walls made out of pure steel. I spotted remains of Horde banners on the walls which were mostly replaced by banners of the Scourge. On top of these walls stood hundreds of undead archers, spellcasters and other undead creatures. In front of the massive gate stood twelve abominations, about twenty ghouls and five death knights.

The skeleton walked to one of the death knights and said "I have two guests for Lord Tirion".

I walked to the death knight and handed him the scroll. He unfolded it and read it, then telling me that we could pass. I nodded my head and followed the skeleton through the gate. My eyes widened in surprise when I saw the massive army which stood in the base. It was impossible to record the exact number of this army. I only knew that it was larger than any army of the Scourge I had ever seen before.

The entire outpost was stuffed full, meaning that it was hard to move without colliding with a creature. The creatures stepped aside and built a corridor as soon as they saw the skeleton, making it possible for us to walk to the main building.

I didn't know who this skeleton was, neither have I heard of any skeleton which had a high rank in the army of the Scourge. It seemed that the skeleton was very well known among the servants of the Scourge. Most of the skeletons were normal foot soldiers but this skeleton was different, this skeleton was special somehow. The other creatures respected this skeleton.

We arrived in front of the massive main building which was made out of the same steel as the Outpost's walls. Its roof was covered by red tiles, its entrance was also massive and guarded by two dozen abominations. We entered the building and walked a little until we reached a large table behind which Tirion Fordring, currently known as Tirion Darkring, was standing.

My mood darkened immediately when I saw him. What had happened to him made me sad. Not only had he been raised by the Lich King, but it was also my fault that he died. Without my intervention, he would have been alive and the Scourge would have been shattered in little pieces cause of the death of their leader.

I wish there had been a solution where both Tirion and Arthas would have survived the battle on top of Icecrown Citadel. But such a solution hadn't existed in our case. Only one of them could have survived and I had chosen Arthas. I wasn't regretting my decision, even seeing him like this didn't change my opinion. Helping Arthas had been the right decisions, I was only hoping that we could capture The Lich King and free Arthas from his control before we defeat the Scourge.

I wish I could tell Tirion how sorry I was but my apology wouldn't matter anymore because he was not himself anymore. He was not the Tirion anymore with the good heart, who would have done everything in his power to defend the living and the defenceless. He was Tirion Darkring, commander of the Scourge and one of Arthas' most powerful minions. I couldn't apologize to him anyways because I wasn't Jaina Proudmoore during this mission. I was Vivienne Mortalbreaker who was not responsible for anything.

The skeleton took the scroll out of my hand and gave it to Tirion who read it carefully.

"I didn't know that the Lich King wants me to plan the campaign with others but who I am that I would doubt the master's decisions?" he said and invited us to come closer.

Vissia and I didn't hesitate and stepped next to Tirion, regarding the map on the table. By closer looking at the figures on the map, it seemed that they wanted to attack the three closest places to Zoram'Gar Outpost first. These places where Ordendil's Retreat in the north-west, Maestra's Post and the Shrine of Aessina in the south-west. The Scourge guessed that the dragons were hiding in the near of Raynewood Retreat. I didn't even know where the dragons were. I only knew that they were hiding in Ashenvale but I didn't know the exact location. I was just hoping that the Scourge wouldn't find them.

"So, your plan is to attack these three meaningless places and when what?" I asked and looked at Tirion and then at the map again.

"We will conquer more bases and outposts one by one until we control the entire territory of Ashenvale. Don't forget that we have to find the dragons and avenge Lady Proudmoore's death. The master had told me that the highest priority is to make the dragon's pay for killing Lady Proudmoore" he responded.

Wait a second... The Lich King thought I was dead... That's new for me. Of course, I knew that the connection between us didn't exist anymore but I hadn't expected that he thought that I was dead. I had thought that he just assumed that I was captured. Him thinking that I was dead would explain his sudden desire to conquer Ashenvale and attack the dragons.

I must mean a lot to him that he would send so many troops to a mission to conquer a meaningless territory. I had guessed that, if the Lich King would attack Kalimdor or the Eastern Kingdoms, he would attack Stormwind or Undercity first and not Ashenvale. Hearing about my death must have triggered something in him, another proof that the good Arthas still existed.

Of course, attacking a non-military target and eventually killing innocent people wasn't a good sign but him wanting to avenge me meant that the good Arthas still existed. It also meant that there was hope to capture him one day and free him from the Lich King's control.

"When will we attack?" I asked.

"In five days. We are waiting for the arrival of someone"

"Someone?" I asked curiously.

"A very special warrior, the Lich King's secret weapon. He is the Lich King's trump card if everything is going wrong" responded Tirion.

"Why is he sending this warrior to such a meaningless place?" asked Vissia.

"I don't know and I don't dare to doubt the master's decisions. It seems that his revenge has the highest priority. He really wants to see the dragons dead and wants to avenge Lady Proudmoore's death by every means"

"It seems that this Lady had meant a lot for him. I had never heard that he had reacted this way when one of his other powerful servants died"

"It is strange indeed, but It seems that he had feelings for her. They had loved each other in life and even in death, I guess. So, I think he is grieving at the moment but he doesn't want to show that he is grieving so he let out all of his anger on the citizens in the territory where the dragons are hiding. In the end, this territory would belong to us in any case but now it would belong to us sooner than expected. I don't really care if we conquer this area sooner or later. As long as we can avenge Lady Proudmoore, I'm fine with every outcome of this battle" responded Tirion.

"Of course, I want to avenge the death of such an important person. The mortals will pay for killing her" added Vissia and looked at Tirion, then she looked at the map and finally at me.

I turned around when I noticed that someone had entered the building. I spotted Selania who was slowly approaching us. She seemed to be taller and burst with even more power than the last time I had met her. She looked a bit paler but she had her typical arrogant grin on her face. The same arrogant grin she had given me all the time when she had seen me.

"Who do we have here?" she asked curiously and came to me, regarding me closely.

"My name is Vivienne Mortalbreaker. The Lich King had ordered me to help Lord Darkring with the planning and executing of the campaign"

"Did he?" she asked suspiciously and looked at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, why should I lie?"

"I don't know if you are lying but the strange thing is that I don't know anything about someone who should help us. I'm the right hand of the Lich King so I should know that someone will be helping us, don't you think?" she asked and stepped closer to me so that our faces were only a few inches apart.

"I thought that Kel'Thuzad is the master's right hand" statemented Tirion.

"Shut up Tirion. I'm talking with her at this moment"

"But..." he started but Selania cut him off with a harsh gesture.

"Tell me, mage. What should I do with liars?" she asked with a provocative smile on her lips.

"I'm not lying" I responded and gave her the scroll. She unfolded it and read it carefully, one time, two times, even three times. She gave me scroll to a servant and said "Prove if this scroll is real or not. I don't trust this woman"

I bit my bottom lip nervously, wondering how she could know that. I had acted like a normal servant of the Scourge, still, she was suspicious and didn't believe my story. Every other servant had believed it immediately but only she had doubts. Selania was a riddle for me but her character was not the problem I had at the moment. The problem was that the servants would find out that the scroll is fake. Which meant that they would expose us an bring us back to the Lich King. I wanted to meet Arthas again but not too soon and not under these conditions. I wanted to defeat The Lich King and help to free Arthas. I didn't want to get captured once again.

I thought about what I could do to get out of this miserable situation.

Running would be too obvious and they would catch us probably. I could teleport away with Vissia but that would prove Selania's suspicion that something was wrong about me. I guess I had no other choice to hope that this mage was not good enough to find out that the scroll was fake. The chance was small but it was our only real hope to remain undetected.

"You will wait right here until the mage is done with proving the scroll" demanded Selania and looked at Tirion who gave her an agreeing nod. It was very weird to see Tirion getting orders from anyone. In life, he had been the leader of the Argent Dawn and had never received orders. He had only met with other factions and groups like the Alliance and the Horde and had worked with them against the Scourge. As a high commander of the Scourge, there were a few persons who were above him and were able to give him orders. Selania seemed to be one of them.

We waited for half an hour until the mage came back. I could swear if I would have been alive, that my heart would beat rapidly in my chest. I knew without needing to look at Vissia that she was very nervous. Fortunately, her mask was covering her face so that Selania wasn't able to read her facial expression. The information of the mage would decide if we have to flee or if we can stay.

"What have you found out?" Selania asked impatiently.

"The scroll is not a fake" he answered.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes, my lady" the mage stuttered and stepped a few feet backwards. He was obviously afraid by Selania who was looking at him as if she wanted to slaughter him at the next moment.

"And why don't I know about their help?" she asked angrily and came closer to the mage.

"I don't know, commander" he stuttered.

"I will ask the master myself. I don't believe them. Create me a portal to Icecrown Citadel. NOW"

"As you wish" the mage stuttered and started to create a portal. It took a while for him because he was so nervous and afraid of Selania's presence, causing that he lost his concentration and failed the summoning more than just one time. Selania was not happy that it took so long but she didn't say anything, knowing she could only make it worse. She looked at me and then at Tirion directly after the portal had been created.

"I will be back soon. Don't you dare to move away" she said and stepped through the portal.

* * *

_Lich King's POV_

"Why aren't you in Zoram'Gar Outpost? You know what had happened the last time when you hadn't executed my orders rightfully, right?"

"Of course, my master but I'm only here to check something" responded Selania and gave me a look which told me that she was meaning it serious.

"What do you want to check? I asked and leaned forward, regarding her closely.

"Do you know a servant with the name Vivienne Mortalbreaker?" she asked.

"Vivienne Mortalbreaker? No, I never heard about her. Who is she?"

"I think she is a spy who wants to find out our plans for the campaign in Ashenvale"

"Why do you think so?"

She didn't respond, instead, she walked to me and handed me a scroll. I unfolded it and read it carefully. "I haven't written this" I statemented.

"I knew it. We have a spy in our ranks, her sudden appearance was already conspicuous, especially because she wanted to know what Tirion had planned. This fool even had believed her"

"Well, don't blame him. This scroll is well-made. It was hard to notice that this is a fake. I only noticed it because I hadn't written these lines. I wouldn't have noticed that this is a fake if the preparer would have tried to let us believe that another member of the Scourge with a high rank would have written this. But the fake wants us to believe that I have written it, which I didn't. Don't blame Tirion or the servants who had brought her to the base" I said.

"We have to make sure that she won't escape. She knows too much about our plans"

"Even if she gets away, it's okay. First of all, we can change our strategy. Even if the mortals know that the will attack the places in the west first, it wouldn't be useful for them. It was obvious that we would attack these bases first because they are the nearest bases to Zoram'Gar Outpost. Tirion hasn't revealed the plans about attacking the dragons, at least not when and with how many servants we will attack"

"But she knows that we know where the dragons are. She has to be captured. We can't risk that the dragons go to another area"

"You are right. Kill her then"

"As you wish, master" she said and bowed to me. I signalized her to get up. She did as she was told and walked to the teleporting platform, disappearing through it.

"Is the HE ready?" I asked the person who was standing next to my throne.

"Yes, he is" responded Lana'thel and gave me a curious look.

"Good. Tell him that he should go to Ashenvale and prepare the attack with the second wave. The first wave should attack as soon as possible. Even if this spy escapes, the mortals will not have enough time to get prepared. Ashenvale will belong to me and the dragons will pay for that they have done to my Jaina"

"As you wish" responded Lana'thel and bowed to me. She walked away and disappeared through the same teleporter through which Selania had disappeared.

* * *

_Jaina's POV_

I was leaning against one of the building's walls when a portal was opened and an angry Selania stepped out of it. She held the scroll in her hands and tore it in millions of little pieces. She pulled one of her swords from her back and walked towards Vissia and me. I reacted quickly and grabbed Vissia's hand, muttering a few words. We disappeared and arrived in another place before Selania reached us. I looked around and noticed that we were standing at the edge of a forest. The walls of Zoram'Gar Outpost were well visible from these positions, meaning that the base was about one hundred meters away from us.

I noticed that I was still holding Vissia's hand. She looked at me, I could see worry and fear in her eyes, her face wasn't covered by the mask anymore. I told her that everything was going to be fine. She nodded her head quickly and looked around as if she was looking for someone. I told her that we needed to find a hiding place. She nodded again and followed me. We walked until we found a small cave. I created a small flame which hovered above the palm of my left hand and radiated enough light to enlighten the little cave. In the cave was nothing except a few stones and dead insects and rats.

We made sure that nobody had followed us, then we started to create a portal together. We walked through it as soon as it was fully opened. We came out in the planning room of the main building in Astranaar. Malfurion, Shandris and Tyrande were having a discussion when we arrived in this room. They turned around and looked at us, worry and surprise were written on their faces. We dissolved our fake appearances and walked to them.

"That was fast, you were only away for a few hours. What happened?" asked Tyrande.

"Selania had the suspicion that the scroll was fake. I don't know why she was so suspicious. What matters is that she didn't believe our story. She went to the Lich King and asked him about it. She came back after a few minutes and wanted to slaughter us" I explained.

"Well, that is... unfortunate"

"At least, we found out information about their plan. I'm just not sure if these pieces of information are helpful after they had discovered that we were spying on them"

"What have you found out?" asked Malfurion and stepped closer to me.

"They want to attack the nearest places to their base first. Ordendil's Retreat, Maestra's Post and the Shrine of Aessina will be their first targets. The Scourge knows that the dragons are hiding in the near of the Raynewood Retreat. I'm pretty sure that they will attack it soon with the strongest servant of the Scourge as their leader" responded Vissia.

"The strongest servant of the Scourge? You mean that death knight, right?" asked Malfurion.

"No, there is someone who is even stronger than her. Unfortunately, I don't know anything about this servant" I told.

"Hmm. I don't know what to say to this but I'm sure that we will find a way to deal with that person" he said.

"What else have you found out?" asked Shandris.

"The Scourge thinks that I am dead which would explain why the Lich King would attack Ashenvale instead of conquering the rest of Northrend. He thinks that the dragons are responsible for my death and he wants to avenge me" I said and noticed that Tyrande's eyes lightened up as if a great idea had come to her mind.

"We could use this as our advantage. We could surprise the Lich King's troops and lure them into a trap. I'm pretty sure that he would do everything to get you as soon as he knows that you are still alive. We have to bait his army into a trap and then kill a lot of them" announced Tyrande and looked at her husband and her adoptive daughter who were nodding their heads in agreement.

"That's a very good idea. Maybe I should stay in the near of the dragons. Arthas wants to see them dead so he will send a huge army to Raynewood Retreat. He will send more servants when he finds out that I'm still alive. We should place the trap in the near of Raynewood Retreat" I responded.

"We would have to give up a large part of Ashenvale if we really want to do this. Raynewood Retreat is in the middle of Ashenvale which means that we would lose half of our territories until the Scourge gets in the near of this place" Shandris threw in and rubbed her chin while she looked at the map with a thoughtful face.

"You could also go to one of their first attack targets and help to defend it. The Lich King will send a lot of his troops to this place, meaning that we could prepare the trap there and lure them into it" said Malfurion.

"That's a good idea" I commented.

"Yes, it is" responded Tyrande and rubbed her husband's back, giving him a pleased smile.

"So, it's decided, right? Jaina will help to defend Maestra's Post. We will make sure that a lot of these bastards will die through our trap which we will devise now" said Tyrande with a happy expression on her face. She walked to me and hugged me. "Good job Jaina" she whispered and ran her fingers through my hair, giving me a small smile.

"Thank you, Tyrande" I responded and smiled back.

"Cenarius came to our aid with reinforcements. We will speak to him now and tell him about your found-out information. We will return as soon as we have the perfect plan" she said.

"Do that. I'm happy that I was able helped you"

"We are thankful for your aid. It means a lot for us that you are still on our side"

"It means a lot for me too" I responded and gave them a small smile.

"See you later" whispered Tyrande and kissed my forehead. I noticed the jealous expression on Vissia's face but I didn't say anything to her, not even when the three night elves left the room.

"What will we do now?" she asked and looked at me shyly.

"I don't know. Let's take a short rest and then continue with your training"

"Oh yeah, that's a good idea"

"Alright, let's go" I responded and walked out of the room with her.


	13. Unforeseen events

_Jaina's POV_

Maestra's Post, what a strange place. It had consisted out of two buildings which had been standing in a large distance to each other the last time I had been there. These days, it was a well-secured base which was surrounded by a massive wood wall. Archers were standing on the top of the lookout towers, mages were standing behind the battlements and waited that the enemy would approach us.

I was also standing behind the battlements, Vissia was standing next to me and Tyrande was standing behind us. I knew, without needing to look around, that Varian and Malfurion were in the near. I wouldn't have believed that Varian, the King of the Alliance, would assist us personally in this battle. But there he was in his full battle armour. Shalamayne his right hand, a shield in his other hand. Ready for battle. I was glad that he was here because we could need every skilled fighter to win this battle.

Our plan was not that difficult. We assumed that the Lich King would send a lot of his troops to this base because he wanted to have me back. We have buried a lot of mines, bombs and other explosive stuff beneath the ground in the base and around it. We will blow them up as soon as enough servants of the Scourge would be in the base. Of course, we will evacuate our soldiers before we would do that. If our plan works correctly, then we will have a huge advantage because the Lich King would lose a lot of his servants without getting replacements.

I turned my head a little and looked at Vissia who was giving me a nervous look.

"What is wrong?" I asked and wrapped my arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer.

"It's... It's nothing" she whispered and looked away.

"Nothing? Your face tells me that something is bothering you. What is wrong? You can tell me. It's no shame to be afraid"

"I'm not afraid. I just...I don't want to lose you. I don't want that you become a member of the Scourge again"

"Don't worry if everything is going as we had planned, then Arthas won't get me" I responded and ran my fingers through her soft hair.

"I'm hoping that" she responded and looked in my eyes. She didn't look away after a few moments like she normally would. Instead, she kept staring in my eyes and came closer. She leaned in and before I was able to do anything, she connected her lips to mine. My eyes were wide open, my lips were parted and my mind went blank for a few seconds. I didn't react, giving her the opportunity to sneak her tongue in my mouth.

I blinked a few times, realizing what had happened. Her kiss felt strange. Strange but also exciting. I found myself returning her kiss for some reason. I pulled away as soon as I had the control over my body back. She looked at me, heavily blushing. She rubbed her hands together and avoided my look.

"What was that for?" I asked and looked at her and then at Tyrande who was smiling at us in amusement.

"For the case that I lose you today" replied Vissia quietly and looked at her feet.

"You won't lose me today. I will promise"

"Hopefully, I would be devastated if I lose you"

"Vissia... I don't want to hurt you but..." I started but didn't complete my sentence.

"I know that you still love Arthas. I can't understand this but I accept this. I just thought... Never mind forget it"

"No, tell me"

"This can wait after the battle" she responded and looked at me shyly.

"All right but you will tell me. Promised?"

"Promised" she said and looked at me for a small moment before she looked at the forest which was a few hundred yards away from the base. I noticed that her eyes widened in surprise, so I turned around to find out the reason for that. I spotted Selania who was standing with a group of death knights in front of the forest. I noticed that thousands of ghouls, skeletons, nerubians and other undead creatures were standing between the trees. I knew that more servants were waiting behind them, hiding in the forest.

"I make you an offer. Give us Jaina Proudmoore and we will promise you that your deaths will be swift. We may even spare the innocent inhabitants who are living in this territory" Selania shouted and looked at us with narrowed eyes.

"We will never give her to you. Come and get her if you desire her so much" responded Tyrande and drew her bow. She shot an arrow at Selania but the death knight caught it with one hand and regarded it amused.

"Is that all that you have got? I have expected more from _the mighty Tyrande Whisperwind_ " shouted Selania with provocatively and destroyed the arrow with her bare hand. She looked at Tyrande and then at me. Even from this distance, I didn't miss the wide grin on her lips.

"Alright, then we have to use violence to get her"

"Turn around Selania. Run away as long as you can" I shouted, the corners of my lips formed a small smile when I noticed Selania's upset expression on her face. She drew one of her swords from her back and lifted it in the air. I knew that this was the signal to attack. I lifted my left hand, telling everyone that the battle was about to start.

Tyrande drew her bow, Vissia prepared a fireball, the mages in our near cast multiple spells and the archers prepared volleys of arrows. Our advantage was that this entire base was surrounded by a thick forest which prevented that the Scourge could bombard us with their siege engines because they didn't fit through the dense forest. Instead, the Scourge sent large abominations which tried to demolish our wood walls.

Our task was to kill these abominations before they destroy your defensive line. I knew, as soon as I noticed the gargoyles and frost wyrms in the air, that this wouldn't be that easy. Fortunately for us, our plan was not to hold this base. Our plan was to lure as many creatures as possible in this base before we blow it up.

The defence went very well, we killed all of their abominations, preventing that they could tear parts of the walls out. Selania was pretty frustrated about this but she couldn't do anything except to hope that the flying nerubians and frost wyrm would take enough of our mages and archers out.

Unfortunately for her, we had enchanted the walls with magic which would strengthen them well enough so that they would hold out against her swords, meaning that she was no threat for us. The flying creatures, on the other hand, were a problem.

They dealt pretty well with our archers and spellcasters, killing them immediately or carrying them away and dropping them later. On the other hand, we managed to kill a lot of these flying creatures and burned their corpses. But in the end, we lost more ranged fighters than they lost flying creatures.

We managed to defend the walls for a few days because we had gotten constant reinforcement from the Alliance and even from the Horde. They had sent us supplies, fighting beasts and soldiers, mostly spell casters and archers. We had burned the corpses of our fallen soldiers and most of the corpses of the fallen enemies. The necromancers, who hid behind a powerful barrier, had been able to only raise a small number of their fallen servants over the past days.

The walls had been damaged but not damaged enough to so that Selania was still not able to break through them. She had attacked us with more and more abominations and giants over the past days but we had killed and burned them all before they had done any remarkable damage.

I looked at the sky. I could swear that I saw the outlines of a very large dragon. I was wondering if I knew this dragon. Maybe it was Avigosa who belonged to the tallest members of her race. I found out soon enough, that it was not Avigosa. It was her mother Sindragosa who was flying towards us. She reached the base within a few minutes and opened her jaw, spitting blue flames out. I noticed that a person was standing on her head but I wasn't able to recognize who it was.

The blue flames set a lookout tower on fire. The flames consumed the construct and the persons who were standing on top of it. The screams of the burning creatures sounded horrible. Unfortunately, I couldn't do anything to help them because I was too far away.

I lifted my wand and created a massive pyroblast. Vissia created a large fireball and threw it at Sindragosa right after my spell. I had expected that the techniques would hit her and cause serious damage but a green glowing barrier absorbed the spells and protected her. The barrier dissolved quickly, then I heard evil laughter coming from the person on top of Sindragosa. I knew that this evil laughter sounded familiar for me, but somehow, I wasn't able to recognize the laughter or the person.

Sindragosa set another tower on fire, the arrows and spells which hit her didn't seem to bother her at all. Only the stronger ones were blocked my green barriers. I was so focused on Sindragosa that I noticed the huge abomination too late which broke through the piece of wall on which Vissia, Tyrande and I were standing.

The part of the wall broke apart, we fell and landed hard on the ground. The abomination's eyes rested on me and looked at me for a small moment. It was about to grab me but Varian charged at it and cut its hand off before it was able to touch me. I stood up and helped Tyrande and Vissia to get up.

I gave Varian a thankful nod and created a massive fireball. I threw it at the abomination, setting it on fire. The smell of burned flesh reached my nose but I ignored it and finished the abomination with a sharp ice-splinter through its head. The creature fell backwards and turned to ashes before it hit the ground.

Dozens of creatures came through the hole in the wall. I reacted quickly and froze their feet to the ground, preventing that they could come any further. Tyrande killed a few of them with precise arrows while Vissia burned about five creatures. The rest were taken out by arrows and spells from mages, warlocks or shamans. Of course, these creatures weren't the only ones who came through the wall. More parts of the walls were destroyed, either by the abominations and giants or by Sindragosa.

I looked at Sindragosa who had landed on the ground a few moments ago. My eyes widened when I recognized who was standing on top of her head. I bit my bottom lip nervously. I could swear that my heart would have beaten rapidly if I would have been alive, my skin tickled and I noticed that I was rubbing my hands together nervously. The person on top of the dragon was no other than Arthas.

Arthas got off Sindragosa, his hand held Frostmourne when he entered the base. He slew the first defender who dared to approach him. Frostmourne absorbed the defender's soul and he raised him before any mage could have set the corpse on fire. Arthas looked at me, his piercing gaze felt as if he would look through me. He was just standing about a dozen meters away from me and regarded me, showing me that he was happy to see me. Selania came through the hole and stopped next to him, both of her swords were drawn and ready to take innocent lives.

She gave me a provocative look but I didn't respond to her. Instead, I looked at Arthas with an impassive expression on my face. Arthas pointed Frostmourne's tip at us, ordering his servants to bring me to him. I noticed, out of the corner of my eyes, that Vissia gritted her teeth and that Tyrande wasn't making a pleased look either. Vissia created dozens of arcane missiles and fired them at Arthas but he lifted his left hand a little and stopped them during the flight. He laughed amused when he noticed Vissia's surprised expression.

"I guess you are the spy who had stolen Jaina from me. You and Rhonin are the reasons why she is not by my side anymore and is serving you. I will make sure that you will receive your just punishment for challenging me and testing my patience" said Arthas with his fearsome and chilling voice.

"She doesn't even want to stay with you" shouted Vissia. "You have murdered her, you monster. Why should she follow you? No one would follow you voluntarily. If you want to have her, then come and try your luck, bastard".

I blinked and looked at her in surprise, not having expected such an outburst from a shy person like Vissia. I noticed that her eyes were narrowed, her teeth gritted and her gaze rested on Arthas who made an impassive face. She created a powerful arcane blast between her hands and fired at it Arthas. He didn't dodge it, expecting that it wouldn't harm him. It turned out that he had misjudged Vissia and her power.

The blast hit him in the chest, the explosion caused that he staggered backwards and nearly fell to the ground. I looked at him and then at Vissia, not knowing what to think or feel. I was worried about Vissia but I was also worried about Arthas. I didn't know who I would help if they would fight against each other. I knew that I couldn't kill Arthas but I could weaken him so that we could capture him and find a way to free him.

I noticed that Vissia was breathing heavily, it seemed that the arcane blast had cost a lot of her remaining mana. She pulled a potion, which contained a blue liquid, out of her bag. It was a mana potion.

She didn't hesitate and drank it. The mana potion worked wonders, it restored a large portion of her mana and caused that she recovered a little. She was less exhausted now and was able to fight again. I didn't need such potions because I was undead, meaning I could cast a lot of spells without getting exhausted too quickly.

I cast spells after spells at the incoming servants of the Lich King, killing a lot of them and burning their bodies. Arthas just stood there and watched his servants getting killed by us. Selania, on the other hand, rushed to the nearest defenders and killed a lot of them with a few swings of her swords.

I fired a few spells at the nearest members of the Scourge, then I turned around and checked my surroundings. I spotted Varian who was fighting against Vissia. To my surprise, he had no change against her. She blocked all of his attempts. Even when he split Shalamayne into two weapons, he was not able to hit her. Selania managed to heavily damage his armour and left a huge bleeding wound in his torso. I cried out his name but I couldn't do anything against her next attack. She kicked him away, causing that he landed on the ground. Varian tried to get up but she pushed him back to the ground.

I lifted my wand and cast an arcane bolt. The bolt hit Selania and flung her away, giving Varian enough time to stand up and get away. A male paladin rushed to him and started to heal his wound while other Stormwind knights fought the ghouls back which were trying to reach Varian. I sent several spells at the nearest Scourge servants. I even tried to hit Selania with a few of these spells but she managed to dodge all of them. It seemed that she was still superior, still stronger than me but fortunately I was not alone this time. This time, she won't wipe the floor with me and won't beat me bloody. At least I was hoping that.

I noticed that Arthas was doing something. At this moment, he thrust his blade through the upper body of one of Varian's personal guards. The guard's screams amused him and put a smile on his lips. He pulled the sword out, stole the guard's soul and turned him into a mindless ghoul. The ghoul stood up and charged at the nearest defender, bringing him down with the help of many other ghouls and skeletons.

Tyrande stepped next to me and whispered "It is time to evacuate. We have to get out of this base and make sure that they are locked in. Hopefully, we can kill the Lich King with his servants"

"But...I thought we would capture him and try to free him" I responded irritated.

"Yes, I know...But this is the perfect opportunity to get rid of him and the Scourge. We don't know for sure if we can free him. We should use this opportunity because we won't get a second one. I know that this is not what you would have imagined but we have to think about the well-being of Azeroth and its inhabitants. We can't value the life of one person over the lives of millions. I hope that you can understand that Jaina" she said, her look told me that she was worried about me and my possible reaction.

"I understand you but... I can't let him die" I whispered and looked at my feet, not wanting to look in Tyrande's face.

"Tyrande is right, Jaina. Please, I know that this suck but sacrifices must be made" said Malfurion and put his hand on my shoulder, turning me around so that I was forced to look at them. Tyrande looked at me insecurely, then she looked at Vissia. It seemed that Vissia had interpreted an unspoken command out of the look she was giving her because she put her hand on my back and teleported us away.

We arrived on top of a small hill, a few hundred meters away from the base. I looked around, noticing that Varian, Tyrande, Malfurion and a few dozen men and women were standing behind us. I also noticed that not every defender had been teleported out of the base. I guessed that about half of our soldiers remained in the base. I wish we would have saved more of them but we had no time. I wished that we wouldn't blow up this base. I wish we wouldn't sacrifice the remaining defenders. I wish we wouldn't kill Arthas but we had no choice. I was not the one who would make that decision because Shandris was the one who held the trigger mechanism in her hand.

She didn't hesitate and pressed the red button. I could do nothing except watching the explosion from afar. I noticed that tears were running down my cheeks but I didn't wipe them away because I was too shocked and stunned to do anything. Vissia took a handkerchief out of her bag and wiped my tears away.

Thick clouds of black smoke rose in the air and lasted for an hour. I stood there while shamans manipulated the air to blow the smoke cloud away. The withdrawing cloud revealed a huge crater at the spot where the base had been standing an hour ago. Most of the servants of the Scourge had been blown up by the explosion. Only a few dozen had survived this explosion. A few dozen ghouls, skeletons and flying creatures were standing behind the crater.

Sindragosa was among the survivors. She seemed to be unharmed but Arthas and Selania were nowhere to be seen. I wouldn't lose a tear over Selania but Arthas' fate made me really sad.

I had tried to rescue him once again but all of my efforts had turned out to be useless. I hadn't been strong enough to break the Lich King's control, to reach the good Arthas. I hadn't even been strong enough to notice Vissia's plan to bring us away. Now Arthas was gone. The love of my life was gone. He wasn't controlled by someone else and wasn't forced anymore to do things he didn't want to do because he was gone. Fully gone.

I felt an emptiness in me which was about to consume me. I was so sad at this moment. It felt as if my unbeaten heart had been shattered into millions of little pieces. I was nothing without Arthas. The thought about saving him had been the only thing which had motivated me over the past year. He had been my only motivation which had helped me to hold out and not becoming insane while serving for the Scourge. Thinking about him and his possible rescue had given me enough strength to hold out serving the pure evil. Without him, the entire world was meaningless. Without him, every life was meaningless for me.

I turned around, more tears ran down my cheeks. I looked in Vissia's shocked face for a moment then I pushed her violently to the ground. I rushed to Shandris and hit her with a forceful slap in the face.

"What have you done?" I cried out and looked in her shocked face. I hit her again, blood flowed out of her broken nose. Varian pulled me away, preventing that I hit her again. Malfurion stepped to his adoptive daughter and took care of her wound. Strangely, neither Tyrande, Malfurion or Shandris were angry at me. Instead, they acted at me as if they would understand me and my reaction.

Varian let me go after I had calmed down a little at least. I looked at Vissia who was looking at her feet. She refused to look at me and I could swear that she was feeling guilty, at least the expression she made her look like she was feeling guilty.

It was a real miracle that I was able to control myself and wasn't doing something rashly, considering that I had lost everything which reminded me of the life I once had. The Lich King's death meant the death of the only person I had ever loved. But before I could sink in sadness and despair, my ears recognized familiar and scary laughter. I turned around and noticed Arthas who was standing in front of the crater.

His armour was heavily damaged, parts of his torso were visible through the countless large holes in his corselet. His exposed skin was wounded and dark-red blood flowed out of it. Only half of his helmet, the Helm of Domination, was left. The rest seemed to have been destroyed by the explosion. The other half of his face was covered by dried blood, at least his face was unharmed in total. He was still holing Frostmourne in his right hand. The mighty runeblade was undamaged and glowed bluish.

He made a few steps forward and shouted: "Did you really think that this little explosion would kill me?"

I didn't know how he had managed to survive the explosion of about fifty bombs and mines but I was more than just glad that he was still alive. With him, the world made sense for me. With him, it was less dull and less intolerable. I knew that the Lich King was still in control but I was pretty sure that we will free my Arthas from his control one day.

"You will pay for the crimes you have done, Arthas" shouted Varian and made a few steps towards Arthas' direction. Arthas' lips formed a wide grin when he regarded the King of Stormwind coming closer to him.

"Are you sure about this old _friend_? asked Arthas and laughed evilly.

"We are no friends anymore, Arthas. You have become a monster. You have even slain your own father and doomed your people. Give up Arthas and we will promise you that we will find a way to free you out of the Lich King's control" shouted Varian and came closer.

"You should know that I'll never surrender" responded Arthas and came closer until he stood a few feet away from Varian.

"Then die" hissed Varian and attacked him. Arthas blocked his attack with Frostmourne and pushed Varian away with superhuman powers. Varian gritted his teeth. A load war cry escaped his lips when he charged at Arthas. Once again, Arthas blocked his attack, then he crashed his elbow in Varian's face and hit him with a forceful kick.

Varian staggered backwards and held one of his hands in front of his bleeding nose. He wiped the blood away and split his sword Shalamayne into two blades, as he had done against Selania. With the two blades, he was able to hit Arthas a few times. Arthas' body turned out to be very resistant although he was already wounded, meaning that Varian only managed to cause a few deep cuts in Arthas' upper body. Arthas pushed Varian away with the help of dark magic, then he started to heal himself. He managed to close most of his wounds before Varian reached him.

Arthas lifted Varian in the air and started to throttle with the help of the same dark magic. Of course, I couldn't let Varian die. I created an arcane blast and shot it at Arthas. The blast hit him, exploded on his chest and caused him to stagger backwards. He let go of Varian who landed hard on the ground. Tyrande rushed to him and started to take care of his wounds while Malfurion called for the help of the nature.

Thick roots came out of the ground and wrapped themselves around Arthas' feet and legs. Arthas noticed soon enough, that he wasn't able to move which meant that he was an easy target for all archers and spellcasters. Vissia hit him with a frostbolt while I tried to force him to drop Frostmourne by hitting his hand with several arcane missiles. Arthas managed to create a green barrier around him which absorbed mine and Vissia's spells.

Unfortunately, Arthas cut the roots off, meaning that he was able to walk freely again. He caught one of Tyrande's arrows and hacked the treant in two pieces which had been summoned by Malfurion. Arthas dodged my arcane shots and blocked Vissia's frostbolt with Frostmourne's blade.

I was about to cast another spell when I heard Vissia's loud and painful cry. I turned around and saw that Selania had appeared out of nowhere. It seemed that she had hit Vissia with a forceful kick so that she had landed on the ground. I noticed that half of Selania's face was totally burned and one of her arms was missing, meaning that she was only carrying one of her swords. The other one was missing.

Her only left eye looked at me furiously. I started casting a fireball but I was pulled back by an invisible force. I landed next to Arthas who stepped in front of me and rammed Frostmourne in the ground. The around ground it started to split, a powerful green barrier appeared around us and protected us from incoming arrows, spears and magical missiles.

Varian charged at Selania but she bashed him away with a forceful strike. Although she had only one arm left, she managed to deal with Varian and the other mortals who were attacking her. I wanted to do something but somehow, my body felt weak and limp. I wasn't able to do anything except watching Selania injuring Varian and killing three of his strongest guards.

I noticed that the ghouls, who had been standing behind the crater, had come to us and were keeping Tyrande, Malfurion and Vissia busy so that they weren't able to assist Varian. At least Selania wasn't able to kill or seriously injure Varian. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to hit her because he was too busy with defending himself against her furious bashes.

I knew that Varian was a very strong duellist and I also knew that Selania was pretty strong with both swords. I knew that she was by far the most skilled servant of the Lich King in hand-on-hand combat. I hadn't expected that she was so strong that she could cause a lot of problems for the legendary Lo'Gosh with only one arm and one sword.

I noticed that Arthas was channelling a teleporting spell. I couldn't believe that he was leaving Selania behind just to get me safely to Icecrown Citadel. I collected the last remains of my strength and stood up, starting to walk away from Arthas. His eyes narrowed and he looked amazed at me. He interrupted his spell and followed me quickly.

I didn't know how but somehow, I got my entire power back. I couldn't explain what had happened and why my power was back. Of course, I was more than just glad that I was able to fight again. I turned around and created an arcane explosion, which threw Arthas about sixty feet away.

I looked back at my companions who were busy fighting the Scourge. Selania had walked away from Varian and was chasing Vissia who was running away from her. Suddenly, Selania disappeared out of my sight and appeared directly in front of Vissia. The night elf ran straight into her and fell to the ground. I quickly cast a fireball and shot it at Selania, hoping it would hit her before she would do something to Vissia.

To my horror, it was already too late. Selania showed no mercy and rammed her sword through Vissia's abdomen. I cried out loudly, my eyes were widened in shock and tears were formed in the corners of my eyes. A large amount of blood flowed out of Vissia's mouth when Selania drew her sword out. Vissia's widened eyes rested on me. I rushed to her and kneeled next to her, lifting her upper body a little. I looked around. I was asking for help but Malfurion as well as Tyrande were busy fighting and couldn't help her in this situation. I looked back at Vissia, noticing that she was becoming weaker and weaker.

"No, no, no, NO... This cannot happen. Hold out Vissia, don't leave me please"

"It's too late Jaina" she stuttered weakly and gave her best to not pass out.

"No, it's not, there is still hope"

"No... it's too late..."

"No, it's not too late. We can still heal you" I cried out, tears ran down my cheeks and dropped on her face.

"No one who could heal me is available right now. Even if they would come to me now, it would be too late for me..."

"You can't leave me now... Please, Vissia, stay with me" I sobbed and pressed her head against my chest.

"I love you, Jaina. I know that you are not having the same feelings for me because you have only eyes for Arthas. I want you to know that I adored you since the first moment I met you. I'm just hoping that my death means something... I hope that you find a way to free Arthas from the Lich King's control. I want you to be happy with him. If I can't be happy with the woman I love, then you should be happy at least" she said weakly and placed her hand on my left cheek, rubbing it softly.

She started to whisper something. I pressed my ear against her mouth but didn't understand her words. She turned my head a little and kissed me. I kissed her back, allowing her tongue to enter my mouth. She stopped kissing me after a few moments and looked at me for the last time. "I glad that I have met you, Jaina. Promise me that you will fight against the Scourge forever" she whispered and gave me a weak smile.

"I will fight as long as I stand" I whispered, a lot of tears ran down my face and turned to dust when they touched her face.

I looked at her, regarding her while the life was slowly drained out of her. Her eyes stopped glowing, she stared blankly at me, her body became limp in my arms then her head fell back and hit the ground. I pressed my head against her chest. I sobbed. I had the feeling that I could not cry anymore. That all of my tears were already shed but my eyes didn't stop to water. I persisted in this position and didn't stop crying.

This was the second time during that day that I felt shattered. I didn't feel as shattered as I had felt when I thought that Arthas was dead, but still, I was everything but happy. One of my best friends had been taken away from me. Vissia was dead because that bitch Selania had murdered her. I turned around and stood up, trying my best to control my anger.

Selania looked at me with an emotionless face as if nothing had happened. I started to create a fireball but she slapped me hard in the face, sending me to the ground. She sat on my back and pressed my face in the wet ground, stopping me from performing any sort of spell.

I wish I could kill her. I wish I could set her on fire and watch her burning slowly until nothing of her was left except ashes. I imagined a thousand ways how I could kill her slowly and painfully. I realized soon enough that I wasn't able to kill her. I was only able to cry and grieve. Grieve for the innocent Vissia who had done nothing to deserve death. She had only tried to defend her Azeroth and its inhabitants. She had done nothing bad. And now she was dead.

She didn't deserve to die, didn't deserve to be killed by this heartless monster. Losing her was not fair but nothing was fair in this sick and brutal world. Innocent people died in this world, died for absolutely no reason. Most of the people only wanted to live in peace but that was not possible in this world because people always found a reason to start wars. May it be for glory, for honour, for territories or for resources. In the end, innocent people died for nothing noteworthy.

I wiped the tears out of my face and stood up, sending a deadly glare at Selania. She looked at me and shrugged her shoulders. I checked my surroundings, noticing that Tyrande and the others had managed to defeat the foot soldiers of the Scourge. Tyrande rushed to me and regarded Vissia with shocked eyes.

"Oh no..." she whispered and held her hand in front of her widely opened mouth. I saw tears forming in the corners of her eyes but unlike me, she managed to hold them back. She drew a dagger from her belt and charged at Selania but the death knight dodged her attack and sent her to the ground. She could have killed Tyrande at this moment. She could have killed the defenceless leader of the night elves. But she didn't. Instead, she walked back to Arthas who had created a portal meanwhile.

I looked around and noticed that Arthas, Selania and Sindragosa were the only members of the Scourge who were left. Varian, Shandris, Malfurion, Tyrande and I were surrounding them. About one hundred soldiers stood behind us and would support us if Selania and Arthas would dare to attack us. Arthas gave Sindragosa rose. The dragon didn't hesitate and rose in the air. She flew away as fast as possible.

"I will come back and rescue you out of your captivity, my Jaina. Your friends may have defended you today but I will promise you that I will come back and get you the next time we meet" said Arthas and looked at me for the last time before he stepped through the portal. The portal was closed after Selania had walked through it.

I stared at the empty spot where the portal had been, for a while then I looked at Vissia's corpse and started to cry again. Tyrande wrapped her arms around me and hugged me tightly, giving her best to comfort me. I stopped crying after half an hour. I stepped backwards and looked at Tyrande who was looking back at me with worry in her eyes. I noticed that she was also very sad about Vissia's death, as was Shandris who was staring at her corpse.

We stood there for a while not doing anything at all except grieving. Varian ordered his men to take her corpse and preserve it. He came to us and asked, "When will we bury her?"

"What?" I asked and looked at him.

"I don't think that you want to raise her, right? So, we should have a ceremony and bury her" suggested Varian.

"Yes, we should do that" I responded and stared at Vissia's body. Grieve overcame me once again. Tyrande hugged me from and comforted me a little at least.

"I will inform her family and invite them to the ceremony"

"Do that" I whispered quietly and stared at her corpse until Varian's men had brought her through a portal. I looked at Tyrande who signalized me to go with her through the portal. I gave her a small nod and followed her.


	14. Deception and Betray

_Jaina's POV_

The Scourge hasn't stopped their campaign in Ashenvale, not even after their defeat in Maestra's Post. They had come back with more wicked servants and had conquered half of the territory in Ashenvale. The reason for their victory was not their gigantic army. It was one newcomer who had changed everything and had led the Scourge to multiple victories in this area.

He was known as the Soul Collector, the Incarnation of Death. Basically, he did the same thing as Arthas. He stole the souls of his victims and absorbed them. On the contrary to Arthas, this made him a lot stronger. The souls Arthas absorbed strengthened the Scourge in total but not himself, at least not for much. The Soul Collector, on the other hand, got a lot stronger with each soul he absorbed.

I had never seen the Soul Collector before and I was lucky to not have met him in battle during the past weeks where I had assisted the defence of other towns and places in Ashenvale. I remembered that Arthas had mentioned him more than one time. He had told me that he was his secret weapons, his trump card when everything would go wrong or if his plans would fail somehow.

I didn't know what the Soul Collector was capable of. I had only heard the statements of the survivors and had read a few of their reports. The reports told me that he was strong enough to kill a large group of soldiers alone. The reports suggested that the Soul Collector had been the main reason why the Scourge had won so many battles during the past weeks. One of the surviving captains had told me that the behaviour of his soldiers had changed when the Soul Collector had entered the battlefield. He had told me that the soldiers had been less focused and more nervous when he had been around. The captain had also told me that a lot of his soldiers had gotten in panic and had shown signs of fear when the Soul Collector had attacked them.

I couldn't believe that one single person was able to turn the outcome of entire battles. On the other hand, I knew that the Scourge was more than just an average opponent, meaning that nothing should surprise us when it comes to power and strength. I knew what Arthas was capable of and it didn't surprise me at all that he had such a powerful minion in his ranks.

Selania was also pretty strong but I knew that she couldn't defeat hundreds of enemies alone. The Soul Collector, on the other hand, seemed to have no problem with a superior number of members of the Alliance and of the Horde. I didn't know where he will attack next, but I was hoping that he wouldn't come to the place where I was stationed.

Unfortunately for me, he came to the base in the near of Raynewood Retreat a few days later. I didn't haven't recognized him at first because I hadn't seen him before. I knew after I had witnessed his power that it was him.

He was about eight feet tall, his body was very muscular and only his legs and shoulders were covered by armour. His skin had a pale green colour, his face looked almost human, except for his eyes, which looked like small green dots, and the huge horns which came out of his forehead. His exposed upper body looked very weird. A huge black crystal stuck out of his chest which was surrounded by a circle of smaller crystals. The huge crystal stuck out for at least nine inches and the smaller ones stuck out for five inches. Larger versions of these crystals stuck out of his shoulders and back in form of very sharp spikes. He was carrying a massive axe which required the use of two hands. He was so strong that he managed to swing it with only one hand while the other drained out the souls of his opponents.

He didn't even need to kill his opponents to take their souls because he was able to steal their souls while they were still alive, without needing to touch them. I observed him out of the corner of my eyes while I killed ghouls, skeletons and other undead creatures and burned their corpses before the necromancers could raise them.

Each time, when the Soul Collector stole a soul, one of these many crystals glowed for a small second. Most of the times, the crystal in the middle of his chest glowed. It seemed that the Soul Collector stored most of the souls in it. I was wondering why Arthas had created this minion. If he had created it. I was wondering why he needed the Soul Collector when Frostmourne could do the same. Maybe he used this minion as a container. Maybe this creature collected the souls for him so that he can absorb them later, who knows.

The only logical explanation was that Arthas didn't fight on the front line, apart from a few exceptions like the Wrathgate or his attempt to get me in Maestra's Post, and he needed someone who collected the countless souls of his enemies.

I didn't care at this moment why he needed him. I only cared about those who fought with me against the Scourge. I had no clue how we should defeat him. Dozens of night elves charge at him but he decimated them with three precise axe swings. Even attacking him from afar turned out to be ineffective because a barrier formed around his body every time an arrow or a magical missile came in his near.

I had noticed that he was vulnerable during a little time window between the process of the dissolving of the old barrier and the creation of a new barrier. I had even managed to hit him with an arcane blast after I had attacked him with a frostbolt but my technique hadn't harmed him at all. I had tried to take advantage of this time window but somehow, his barriers were generated faster than before as if he had noticed that I knew about his only weakness.

The distance between us was not that large enough for my liking. He came closer every time whenever he wasn't busy fighting against my soldiers. At this moment, I killed a group of ghouls who were trying to drag me away. This time, I didn't burn their corpses. Instead, I raised them and commanded them to attack the Soul Collector. That should give me more time to increase the distance between us.

My expectations turned out to be wrong because he slew them within a few seconds. He gave me a small smile and walked towards me. I knew that he could catch me easily but somehow, he didn't. I was pretty sure that Arthas had ordered him to get me and bring me to him. I was asking myself why he took his time.

Of, course I was glad about this. He gave me more time, but this time wouldn't help me at all because I still didn't know how to beat him. Every attempt to hit him was either blocked by his barriers or didn't injure him at all. The chance to win against him was even lower than the chance to win against Selania in a duel.

I had no clue how to get out of this situation. I could also make a portal and get away from him, to flee to another place but I couldn't abandon the other creatures who were fighting against the Scourge. I had to do something. I knew that he wouldn't kill me. That was the only positive thing in my current situation. The worst thing which could happen to me was that he would bring me to Arthas who will try to influence or control me once again. I was also afraid what the Soul Collector could do to my allies. I wish I could do something but I had not the slightest chance against him, not even with the help of the others.

I ran away from him and sent a fireball at the nearest death knight. The fireball hit him and consumed his body, leaving nothing but ashes behind. I continued to run and climbed the stairs to the wall which protected the base. I stopped on top of the wall and created a wall of ice in front of the stairs so that the Soul Collector wouldn't be able to climb it. He lifted his head a little and looked at me, a wide grin appeared on his lips and I could swear that his eyes had become larger. He shattered the massive ice-wall with only one punch and climbed the stairs slowly. I froze his feet to the stairs, hoping that this would stop him from coming closer. Unfortunately, he got free very quickly and reached the end of the stairs after a few seconds.

Once again, I found myself running away from him until I reached a small lookout tower which was made out of brick stones. I walked through the side entrance and climbed on top of the tower. I used the time, where he climbed the bent staircase of the tower, to teleport myself to the other side of the base. I appeared behind a group of night elves which were shooting arrows at the nearest undead creatures. I lifted my wand and created hundreds of sharp ice-splinters. I shot them at the nearest group of ghouls, a satisfied smile appeared on my lips when all of them died. I raised them and sent them to the lookout tower. They kept the Soul Collector busy for almost five seconds. He hesitated for a moment and regarded the slain ghouls before he walked towards us.

I didn't know what to do. I knew that we couldn't kill him, not without additional help at least. I knew that the dragons were in the near and they could help us but I wasn't sure if they could deal with this thing. I didn't want to risk their lives and the lives of the others. The only choice we had was to retreat. I didn't even know where I should go because the Soul Collector would follow me wherever I would go. In the end, hiding would turn out to be useless but giving up was also neither an option. I knew that the only wise decision was to retreat and meet the dragons or Varian. I have to inform them about the Soul Collector. Maybe they have an idea of how to deal with this threat.

I looked at the Soul Collector, noticing that he was absorbing the soul of a female druid at this moment. I walked towards a dwarf with a horn around his neck. I gave him the order to blow the horn and tell everyone to retreat. He blew the horn which made a very loud and unpleasant sound.

I noticed that all of the remaining defenders had heard it and moved backwards while they continued to fight against the undead creatures which were chasing them. I created a large portal with the help of five other mages. Then I sent fireballs, frostbolts, arcane shots and other deadly abilities at the undead creatures, giving the remaining soldiers enough time to walk through the portal.

The Soul Collector stopped a few feet in front of me, regarding me curiously. I looked around and noticed that every other defender either had escaped through the portal or had been killed and raised. Thousands of undead creatures stood behind the Soul Collector, regarding me with blank expressions on the remains of their faces.

The Soul Collector made a step forward. I reacted quickly and created a very thick ice-wall between us but he destroyed it with ease. His eyes widened when he noticed that I was about to walk through the portal. I was halfway through the portal when he managed to grab and pull me back. I struggled hard and fought against him but his grip was too strong.

I created a very sharp ice dagger around which's blade blue fire burned. I rammed this blade through his forearm. He let me go when he stumbled backwards, a loud cry escaped his lips. He regarded the wound in his forearm, expecting that it would heal quickly. I noticed, out of the corner of my eyes, that the healing process took longer than usual. He lifted his hand and looked at me, charging forward but I jumped through the portal before he was able to reach me. I closed it immediately as soon as I had reached my destination.

I looked around, making sure that everyone was alright. Most of the soldiers were exhausted and happy that they had survived this brutal battle. A few of them were grieving about their fallen comrades, friends and family members. None of them spoke to me but I was pretty sure that they were glad that the mages and I had saved them. The survivors were talking quietly, some of them even looked at me and regarded me for a few moments before they did something else.

I spotted one of Varian's guards, who had a very high rank, coming closer to me. I greeted him and explained to him what had happened. He gave me a small nod and signalized me to follow him. He brought me to Varian's office and knocked at the door. He waited for Varian's response and entered the office. He looked up from his stack of documents with a surprised expression on his face. He signalized the guard to leave and stood up as soon as the guard had closed the door. He approached me and greeted me with a quick hug. I hugged him back but gave him a serious look.

"I don't like that look. What happened Jaina? Judging by the face you are making, something bad had happened" said Varian, one of his eyebrows was raised as he frowned.

"We lost the base in the near of Raynewood Retreat" I responded and took a seat, giving him an apologizing look.

"We lose what? How is that possible? How did we lose another base to the Scourge? This is impossible"

"They sent their strongest servant"

"They sent Selania? You can't tell me that you and Rhonin couldn't have stopped her"

"Selania was there too but Rhonin had teleported away with her. They are fighting in a different place" I responded and looked at my nails for a small moment before I looked back at Varian who was not very pleased about the news.

"You are telling me that the Scourge has a servant which is even stronger than Selania?" he asked, his eyes widened. His expression told me that he wasn't believing that there was a person who was even stronger than Selania.

"I don't know his real name but the Scourge calls him 'the Soul Collector'. He looks reminds me of a demon but his face looks like a human face"

"The Soul Collector? A demon who is serving for the Scourge? Is this a joke?" he asked, his voice sounded a little hysterical.

"I'm not joking. As far as I know, he gets stronger by absorbing souls. Each soul makes him a lot stronger than it would make Arthas stronger. I don't know why Arthas has such a minion. Maybe he needs him to collect as many souls as possible while he sits on his throne and plans his campaigns against us. I don't know. He is so powerful that I and the other defenders didn't manage to hurt him at all. We had no chance against him" I responded.

"That's not good at all. But he is not invulnerable, right?" he asked curious and afraid at the same time.

I told him what I had experienced during the fight against the Soul Collector. I told him how his barriers worked and that my special dagger had hurt him. I also mentioned that his wound had been healed shortly afterwards.

"Hmm... I don't know what to say... I wish I could give you a tip but I have no clue how to defeat such a strong opponent"

"I think that we should meet the dragons and the other high important members of the Alliance and tell them what we know. Maybe they have an idea" I responded.

"We should do that. I will invite them to a conference in two days" he responded and took a few empty sheets of paper out of the highest drawer.

"I will go now if you allow it, Varian. I have to get prepared for the funeral tomorrow"

"Do that, Jaina. I wish I could come but I'm too busy with all the paperwork and the planning of our defence campaigns. If you need someone to talk, then don't hesitate and come to me "

"I will think about it. See you soon Varian"

"See you soon Jaina" he responded and gave me a small smile before he looked at the first sheet of paper, a frown was visible on his forehead. I regarded him for a few moments before I walked out of his office and closed the door behind me quietly.

* * *

I was not ready for Vissia's funeral. I still couldn't believe that she was dead. She was still alive in my mind but unfortunately not in the real world. In this cruel world, she was lying in a coffin made out of transparent glass. She was wearing a white beautiful dress, her hair was decorated with light-blue ribbons. She looked so peaceful, at least she was in a better place now. Any place was better than this cruel world where innocent people died for literally nothing. War was such an unnecessary invention of the mortals. Thousands of people died for resources, territories or other meaningless things. I couldn't understand why creatures had to slay each other. Why wouldn't they appreciate peace and just life their lives instead of looking for new dangers?

I knew that Vissia had feelings for me, feelings which I couldn't reply. I wish I could have spent more time with her. I wish I could have told her that she was really important to me, that she was one of my best friends but now it was too late.

Vissia was dead, murdered by this whore Selania. Vissia's death had not been necessary for the Lich King's plans, yet Selania had killed her. I will make sure that she will pay for that. I will avenge Vissia and kill Selania one day. I will not rest until Selania's entire body will be consumed by my flames. She will get her just punishment. She will witness my wrath sooner or later.

I made a few steps forwards and regarded the surroundings. I was standing in the middle of a small night elf temple, which was dedicated to the moon goddess Elune. The temple was made out of marble and other white stones. It was about sixty feet tall, more than one hundred and sixty feet long and almost one hundred feet wide. Vissia's coffin stood about twenty feet away from me and was surrounded by a small group of night elves.

One of them was Shandris who regarded her corpse silently. The other five elves belonged to Vissia's family. Her mother, her father and her three sisters were mourning for her, wiping their tears away with handkerchiefs. They looked at the coffin for a while, unable to stop crying.

Vissia had never talked about her family. I was wondering why she hadn't. I didn't believe that she had no contact with her family. Her family were mourning for her and were attending the ceremony, which meant that they had had a good relationship with Vissia. I was wondering why so few people were attending the funeral. Maybe because a lot of them were resting after the battle against the Soul Collector. Maybe because Vissia had only a few friends because she was very shy and not the type of a person who walks to others and would make small talk with them.

I looked at her family when I came closer to them. I wanted to say something to them. Something which would comfort them. I opened my mouth but no words came out. I wanted to say that I was very sorry about their loss, that Vissia had been a good friend of mine and that I had enjoyed spending time with her. I wanted to say even more things about her but no sounds came out of my mouth. I was too busy to struggle with myself to not burst in tears. I was so sad. My not-beating undead heart was shattered in millions of little pieces.

I felt lost, useless, weak. It felt as that a part of me was missing as if I wouldn't be able to live the same life without her anymore. I wish I could change the past and kill Selania before she kills my best friend. I knew that I wasn't able to change what had happened, which made me even sadder.

I stood there and regarded Vissia's coffin while a priest, Malfurion and Tyrande held little speeches in which they said only good things about Vissia. Tyrande offered me to say something too but I refused it because I didn't find the right words. She gave me a worried but also understanding look and stayed in my near while I stared at the coffin and at Vissia's family. They held each other tightly, sobbed and cried together. I really wish I could comfort them at this moment but I had no idea how I could do that.

After two hours of regarding Vissia's corpse and thinking about the past, the future and my other things, I walked out of the temple. I noticed that Tyrande followed me but she didn't say anything. I walked a while in a random direction and turned around, noticing that she was still behind me.

She frowned and asked "How do you feel?"

I didn't respond at first. I needed a few minutes to sort my thoughts before I was able to answer.

"I don't know... It's hard to get over her death. It's really hard to get used to the fact that she is not among us anymore"

"I can understand you. I would also be devastated and speechless if one of my friends would have died. I'm so sorry, Jaina"

You don't need to, Tyrande. You are not responsible for her death. It was Selania who took her life and I will make sure that she will pay for it"

"Be careful, Jaina. We don't know what we are capable of if we really want to have our vengeance. Don't let your anger and thirst for revenge consume you. Promise me that"

"I promise you that I will take care of myself" I responded and gave her a weak smile. She wrapped her arms around my shoulders and pulled me in a tight hug. She caressed my back while she whispered comforting words in my ear. We stood there for a while, locked in an embrace. We separated finally and started to walk back to the temple.

We arrived after a walk of an hour and met up with Malfurion and Shandris. Together, we stared at the beautiful stars in the sky until they got tired. I wished them a good night and started to create a portal. They said comforting words to me before they said goodbye and walked towards their home in Darnassus. I stepped through the portal, as soon as they were out of my sight, and arrived in Stormwind City. The only reason why I went to this place was that I wanted to talk to Varian. I needed the comfort of a good old friend more than anything else at this moment.

* * *

_Selania's POV_

'There he is', a voice in my head whispered.

'Who is he?' I asked myself.

'Another meaningless mortal who will recognize that it is hopeless to fight us' another voice said.

'We will end the miserable life of this disgusting human' a third voice in my head said.

'Yes, we will' I said to the voices in my head.

I turned my head a little and regarded the mortal who was lying next to my feet. A creepy smile appeared on my lips when I regarded the several deep wounds which covered the human's upper body. I bent down and ran my cold hand through his fiery red hair. He spat at me and tried to reach his powerful wand with his left hand but I stepped on his left forearm and kicked the wand with my other foot away.

"The mighty Rhonin Redhair lays to my feet and bleeds like a pig. I have to say, that I have expected more from you" I said loudly with a strong disappointed tone in my voice and regarded my victim without pity or mercy.

"My death wouldn't change anything" he hissed.

'Really? I think that his death would change a lot' the second voice said which sounded much deeper than the other voices in my head.

'What should we do with him?' the third voice asked.

'We could disembowel him like an animal' suggested the second voice.

'No, let's torture him until he dies' responded a fourth voice.

'No, that would be boring. I hate it when they scream' I said to the other voices.

'We could behead him and feed his corpse to the fishes' the third voice suggested.

'Or we burn him' announced the fourth voice.

'No no no no no. I have a better idea. Behead him and sent his head wrapped in a gift to his wife' said the second voice.

'Yes, that's good' cheered the third.

'I have a better idea for a provocation' I said to them.

"'Tell us' all other voices said at the same time.

'No, I would ruin the surprise for you if I would do that' I responded and lifted Rhonin in the air. I regarded his bloody beaten face, his broken nose and the large dagger between his ribs.

"The Scourge will be defeated by us sooner or later. My death changes NOTHING" he hissed and spat blood at me.

"I doubt that these mortal weaklings will do anything against us" I responded and pressed him against the nearest wall.

"Jaina had told me everything about you. You are nothing than one of the Lich King's whores who spread her legs for him. You mean nothing for him, he will always love Jaina and never love you. You are nothing but a tool for him" he hissed, his eyes looked hatefully at me and a provocative grin appeared on his lips.

'This bastard dares to insult us' the third voice cried out.

'Teach him some respect' the second voice shouted angrily.

'I will' I responded and slapped Rhonin two times across the face so that he spat a large amount of blood and two teeth out. He continued to look at me with that provocative grin on his swollen lips.

'We'll show him who's going to smile last' the fourth voice whispered.

'Yes, we will' I replied.

I hit Rhonin once again with the back of my hand. I tortured him cruelly, his screams caused a lot of pleasure for me. His pain was my pleasure and this pleasure turned me on. Unfortunately for me, Arthas refused to sleep with me which meant that I had to find someone else who would satisfy my needs.

People called me crazy. They called me a sadist, an abomination or a monster. It was true that I really enjoyed hurting others. I loved to injure, torture, slaughter and murder people, especially the weak mortals who had no right to live. I was disgusted by their weakness, none of them could really challenge me.

At least, they will get stronger when I kill them and the necromancers raise them as our servants. Everyone will serve the Lich King and I will become his queen as soon as I get rid of Jaina. I just have to find a way to eliminate her and make sure that the Lich King believes that the mortals had killed her.

A brilliant idea came in my mind. I knew how to stir them up against each other. If this idea would work, then I don't have to fear that Arthas would love Jaina more than me. Jaina will be eliminated and will become the Lich King's queen. I will become the Lich Queen, the co-ruler of the Scourge.

I shifted my attention back to the mortal weakling. The voices in my head cheered each time where I injured him. They screamed in excitement when my clenched fist hit his abdomen over and over again. A loud painful cry escaped his lips and he spat a little amount of blood out. I grabbed him by his fiery red hair and punched him forcefully, breaking his jaw with ease.

The voices cheered when the witnessed the blood which flowed out of Rhonin's mouth. I hit him once again, feeling a lot happier than before. I smashed his head against the floor, a loud excited cry escaped my throat. I wish I could do this forever but I knew that he wouldn't hold out long enough. I wish I could torture him and defile his corpse but I knew that I needed him to set the Alliance against Jaina.

I hit him over and over again until he lost his consciousness. I regarded his beaten body with pleasure for a while then I dragged him to the other side of the room and started to work on the message which I wanted to deliver to the Alliance.

'Perfect' I thought when I regarded my work, the voices in my head were surprised and cheered my genius idea.

'The Lich King sends his regards' was written all over the wall with Rhonin's blood and the blood of his best mages. I took a necklace out of my bag and dropped it next to Rhonin. The necklace's owner was Jaina. I had stolen it from her months ago when she had been on a mission. I had already known, on that day, that this could be useful for me. Indeed, it will be useful because it will make Vereesa believe that Jaina had murdered Rhonin.

I leaned over Rhonin and regarded the necklace around his neck. I took it off and opened the very little box which hung on it. I spotted pictures of Rhonin's family, Vereesa, their kids, Vereesa's two sisters and other members of her family. I regarded the pictures for a few moments before I closed the little box and put the necklace in my bag. I knew that I will smuggle this necklace under Jaina's stuff. Hopefully, Vereesa will find it and blame Jaina for Rhonin's death. I looked at my masterpiece for the last time before I turned around and walked through the portal on the other side of the room.

* * *

_Jaina's POV_

I was sitting on the bed of one of the guest rooms in Stormwind City. I was holding a book in my hands and was reading it with excitement. It was a novel about a woman whose husband had been murdered. She would do everything to avenge the death of her beloved. She stops at nothing and didn't spare any guilty person. I wasn't fully finished with the novel but I was pretty sure that it will have a positive ending.

I had no clue if my story will have a positive ending. I knew that Arthas wanted me, which was a good sign. The bad sign was that he wanted me as his queen, as the co-ruler of the Scourge which would mean I would be influenced by him again and murder in his name. I didn't want to be his servant or his marionette but I didn't want to live without him either.

The only choice I had was to try to free him from the Lich King's control but that would mean that we have to capture him first which would be very difficult. I knew the chance for my happy end was very low, still, I wasn't giving up and was hoping for the best.

Suddenly, loud and energetic knocks were hearable. I stood up and opened the door. My eyes lightened up when I saw Vereesa but my facial features derailed when I noticed she was very angry and her eyes were red from crying. Behind her stood three other high elves who were looking at me with mixed feelings. The two male paladins were looking angrily at me while the female mage made an expressionless face.

I opened my mouth, wanting to say something but her forceful hand on my left cheek silenced me. I looked at her surprised and confused at the same time. I rubbed my cheek which really hurt from Vereesa's hard slap.

"What was that for?" I cried out and looked in her eyes, wanting to find out what was wrong with her.

"You know exactly what that was for, you evil bitch" she shouted aggressively. Hurt and betray was written all over her face.

"I don't understand this... What is wrong with you? Why are you acting like this?" I asked, still disbelieving that she had hit me. It would be an understatement to say that I was hurt. How could Vereesa hit me? How could my best friend hit me? I hadn't done anything and she hit me and insulted me. I was very hurt by her behaviour but this didn't stop me from looking in her eyes, hoping that I could calm her down.

I would have gasped if I would have been alive, but my throat felt dry instead. I made a step forward, wanting to approach Vereesa and calm her down my hugging her but one of the paladins stepped in front of her and pushed me away. I landed on the ground but managed to get up immediately.

"Rhonin is dead" she cried out and broke out in tears. My eyes were widened, my lower jaw hung loosely, leaving my mouth wide open.

"Vereesa... Please don't tell me that this is the truth... This cannot be the truth... NO! It can't be possible that Rhonin is dead"

"He is dead because you murdered him" she cried and sent a hateful look at me.

"What are you talking? Are you seriously thinking that I would kill the husband of my best friend? Rhonin is my friend too"

"Stop denying it, whore. I know that you have done it" she shouted, more tears ran over her cheeks and dropped on the floor.

"That is a lie. I would never kill him. You have no proves for that. I'm shocked that you suspect me as a murderer. After all we have been through, you suspect me? Me? Your best friend? I'm really hurt to hear this. I'm disappointed Vereesa" I responded and gave her a sad look.

"Stop spreading your sick lies, whore. I have enough proofs that you murdered him. You murdered him Jaina. Why have you done it? I thought that we were friends. We had spent a lot of time together over the past years. I had loved you like a sister, still, you betrayed me and murdered the love of my life? How could you do such a cruel thing to me, Jaina?" she shouted enraged and broke up in tears immediately after her outburst.

"I don't know what you have seen but Rhonin can't be dead. I haven't met him for two weeks and I haven't met him alone. He was always with you when I had met him. Somebody is fooling you Vereesa. Please, believe me. I didn't kill him and I would never hurt him.

"You already had hurt him in Dalaran"

"That was while I was under Arthas' influence. That was not me" I responded quietly, trying to calm Vereesa down with my voice. It would have been more effective if I would have been alive because my voice didn't sound soft anymore, instead, it sounded more like a creaking door.

"You are still under his control" she hissed. She pointed at me and shouted "Admit it and I will promise you that your death will be clean and swift"

"How many times do I have to tell you that I hadn't done anything? Tell me Vereesa, how many times do I have to repeat that I'm innocent?"

"Say it one more time and I will tear you lying black tongue out of your mouth" Vereesa hissed and made a step forward, her hand rested on the hilt of her blade.

"Do you have any proves?" I asked and looked at her with narrowed eyes.

"Yes, I have" she responded and looked at the mage. The mage nodded and projected a vision at the wall which was opposite to me. The vision showed someone, who looked like me, killing Rhonin with a sharp splinter of ice.

This was not possible. This vision was fake and I was one hundred percent sure about this. I haven't seen Rhonin for a few weeks and I would never do such a horrible thing. The only logical explanation was that someone had manipulated this vision.

"The vision shows you what our magical cameras had filmed last night" Vereesa said and came closer to me.

"This is a fake" I statemented.

"No, it's not" she responded and looked at me, once again, tears formed in her eyes and rolled over her cheeks.

"How can you be so sure? There are a lot of ways to manipulate records and even visions. This has to be a masterpiece of the Scourge. I'm pretty sure that they murdered Rhonin. You are blaming the wrong one, Vereesa"

"You are still a member of the Scourge, don't deny it. You faked that you are freed from the control of the Lich King to get our trust again. I can't believe that I have trusted you again. And now my dear Rhonin is dead because of you and my own foolishness. I should have convinced Varian to execute you..." she shouted and started to cry again.

I didn't know what hurt me more. To see Vereesa like this or have heard about Rhonin's death or that Vereesa believed that I had killed her husband. I didn't know what to think and how I should react in this situation. Vereesa was very angry at me for something I hadn't done. I didn't know how I could convince her that I was innocent, that I hadn't killed Rhonin. I didn't know how I could calm her down. I didn't know what to do.

Vereesa walked to me and slapped me in the face twice, her companions pushed me brutally to the ground. I tried to stand up but one of the two paladins kicked me in the face and sent me back on the ground.

"Vereesa, please listen to me" I said quietly and looked up at her, hoping that she would notice that I was innocent.

"You are only spreading lies. You had once tried to kill Rhonin and now you have done it. You have killed him"

"That's bullshit and you know it. The record is fake. Show it to the council of the Kirin Tor. They will prove that this record is a fake"

"Shut up" she shouted loudly and gave her companions a signal. The paladins lifted me up and brought me towards a portal which had been created by the mage.

"Wait, where are you bringing me?" I asked loudly and tried to get free but the paladins were too strong and denied each of my attempts to get free.

"To Undercity. I haven't seen my sister for a while and I thought that handing her the Lich King's whore would be the perfect gift to apologize for my behaviour towards her and to get closer to her again"

"Are you serious? You have lost your mind, Vereesa. Please, I'm still the same person. I'm your best friend. I would never do this to you. Please, let me go. You know that your sister would torture me to indirectly hurt the Lich King. You have lost your bloody mind if you consider bringing me to her"

"I'm dead serious Jaina. I'm hoping that my sister will torture you and make you feel real pain before she ends your worthless life" she spat out, her words were filled with hatred. I wish I could stop them but the mage prevented that I could cast any spells so I wasn't able to do anything to prevent that her companions brought me through the portal.


	15. Unwanted "Rescuer"

_Jaina's POV_

A loud cry escaped my lips when I landed on the hard floor. I laid there for a few moments before I stood up and checked my surroundings. I was standing in front of a small plateau in the middle of a very large circular room. The room had a dark colour scheme and looked like everything but beautiful. I spotted a few undead creatures who were armed to their teeth and spread all over the room. They were giving me hateful looks and sneered at me.

None of them was really intimidating me or was trying to scare me. The only person who scared me and without doing much than looking at me, was Sylvanas Windrunner, the banshee queen and ruler of Undercity. She was standing on top of this plateau and looked at me with a wide grin on her lips.

She was wearing red and brown coloured armour which covered most of her body, only her belly and parts of her cleavage were exposed. Most of her platinum blond hair was covered by a hood out of which her long elven ears stuck out. Her red eyes made her beautiful face look really dangerous. The look she was giving me was more than just dangerous. She looked at me as if she would like to stab me over and over again until I would die.

It would be a lie to say that I wasn't afraid of her. Her red glowing eyes rested on me, regarded me closely and seemed to pierce through me. She looked at me for a few minutes before she shifted her gaze to the person behind me. I didn't need to turn around to know that Vereesa was standing behind me.

"It good to see you again, dear sister. I have to say that I'm very surprised to see you here with HER by your side. It seems that the Lich King's whore is on your side again" said Sylvanas with a small smile on her lips as she came closer and scrutinized me.

"You are wrong, dear sister. She is not on our side. She is still working for the Scourge" cried out Vereesa and pushed me forward so that I collided with Sylvanas who threw me angrily on the floor.

"Are you sure? My advisors had told me that she had supported you in Ashenvale" said Sylvanas and stepped right in front of her sister.

"Yes, I am. She had killed Rhonin and had taken his necklace as a trophy."

I felt Sylvanas eyes on me, watching me in silence for a few moments. "I'm sorry to hear that, little moon. I really mean it. I may have become an undead monstrosity because HER lover had slain me but I'm not a heartless monster, a least not fully heartless" Sylvanas said and pointed at me. She wrapped her arms around her sister and pulled her in a tight hug. She caressed Vereesa's back softly while she looked at me with a wicked smile on her lips.

"I didn't kill him" I shouted out but one of the guards walked to me and gagged me so that I was unable to speak further.

"She is lying" whispered Vereesa and rested her head on Sylvanas shoulder who stroke her head softly and ran her fingers through her hair, toying with strands of her hair.

"So, what should I do with her?" Sylvanas asked curiously and looked at me, then at her sister.

"I don't care. Do whatever you want with her. You can have your vengeance for what Arthas has done to you. You can torture her, rape her, kill her. I don't care" responded Vereesa with a cold voice. Her blue eyes rested on me, her beautiful face was distorted by anger and hatred.

I felt betrayed at this moment. I hadn't done anything but Vereesa believed that I was responsible for Rhonin's death. She didn't even have a proof that he was really dead. His corpse could be an illusion which Vereesa could have not noticed in her shock. Maybe he was still alive.

I couldn't believe that Vereesa would hand me out to this crazy bitch although I had done nothing wrong. I didn't kill Rhonin and I would never do that to her but she didn't believe me. I could understand her at some points because I had worked for the Scourge for an entire year. But I had been freed and Ysera had even confirmed that. Still, Vereesa ignored it and blamed me for Rhonin's possible death.

She failed to notice that the Lich King had no control over me. She thought that I have lied to her and to the others the entire time. She was overreacting and I couldn't do anything to prove my innocence because a gap stuck in my mouth and my hands were tied behind my back so that I couldn't explain myself. I didn't know what to do at this moment. I wish I could do something but I realized that I couldn't do anything in my situation.

I tried to stand up but one of the guards pushed me down and rested his hand on my shoulder, making sure that I wouldn't get up.

"Do you have something to say in your defence?" asked Sylvanas with a raised eyebrow and an amused smirk on her lips.

I responded something but it was not recognizable because of the gag. The Banshee Queen looked at me with faked pity in her eyes and kneeled down to me, running her hand over my scalp. "Nothing?" she asked with a mocking voice. "That's a shame. I had hoped that the mighty _Jaina Proudmoore_ would say more to her defence. Anyways, I, Sylvanas Windrunner, Queen of Undercity and of the Forsaken, judge you as guilty for murder. Take her to the dungeon and lock her in our darkest cell" she said while stroking my cheek, giving me a provocative smile.

Somehow, I managed to get the gag out of my mouth and screamed "I'm not guilty, you have no proves for anything. I'm innocent, you have to believe me, please"

"I have to... I have to... I HAVE TO DO NOTHING, YOU STUPID BITCH. I'M THE QUEEN OF UNDERCITY. I CAN DO WHATEVER I WANT" she shrieked and hit me so forcefully that my head snapped back. A little amount of black blood flowed out of the wound in my left cheek which had been caused by her slap.

"Don't you ever dare to tell me again what I have to do and what I have not to do. You are nothing in this city and I will make sure that you will learn that the hard way" she hissed and lifted me with one hand in the air. Her narrowed eyes glowed even redder than before, her pupils had widened. She bit her bottom lip hard so that it burst and a little amount of blood flowed out. She was so angry with me at this moment that I fear what she would do to me. Fortunately, she calmed down and dropped me to the floor.

A few guards approached me and lifted me up. I tried to resist but the enchanted shackles around my hands prevented that I could cast any spell. I couldn't do anything to prevent that the guards dragged me with them to an elevator. They pushed me in it, then they dragged me out of it as soon as we arrived at a much lower level. It was so dark there that I wasn't able to see anything. My nose perceived the smell of death, decay, excrements and other unpleasant smells. I heard the painful cries of creatures, who were to be tortured. I heard the screams of creatures who begged for food or mercy and I heard the sobs of a few creatures.

I didn't know how long we had walked as we suddenly stopped moving. I heard the creaking sound of an opening door. The guards didn't hesitate and pushed me in, my face landed in the wet and muddy ground. I sat up and gave my best to rub the dirt out of my face. The guards regarded me, her laughs sounded like noises made by suffering animals. I was wondering how they were able to see in the dark, but that was the last thing that was interesting me at this moment. The guards closed the cell door and locked it. They look at me one more time before they turned around and walked away.

I crouched to the cell's bars and looked through it, trying to see something in the dark. Although my eyes had gotten used to very dark places after my death, I saw nothing in the darkness. I couldn't even figure out how large my cell was. It was hard, even by moving around, to figure out the exact size of it. I only figured out that it was not very large. I sensed that this cell was enchanted with magic. I expected that the enchantment was the reason why I wasn't able to use magic. I found out an hour later that this cell was designed to cause pain to the prisoner. Not only physical but also mental pain. My body hurt in indescribable ways, my head felt like it was going to explode and I feared that I was going to become crazy if this torture would continue.

I was having one nightmare after the other. The first nightmare was about Arthas getting stabbed over and over again by Sylvanas who was laughing evilly while having a crazy expression on her face. The second nightmare was about Arthas getting killed by Tirion Fordring on top of Icecrown Citadel. Another nightmare showed Selania and Arthas having sex right in front of me while I was nothing but a living head who could do nothing except watching them. I also saw Vissia getting slowly tortured to death by Selania who was enjoying this with pleasure. Then I had a nightmare where Vereesa tortured me slowly and cut my body in little pieces until nothing was left of me.

I didn't know how many of those horrible nightmares I had. I didn't know how long each nightmare had lasted and how long they had lasted in total. The torture stopped at some point but I released it very late. Even lifting my head really hurt. Waves after waves of pain rushed through my body when I moved for even a little inch.

I gritted my teeth and focused the last remains of my strength, then I sat up slowly. I ignored the massive amount of pain I felt and got to my feet by using the bars as support. I looked up and noticed that the surroundings had lightened up so that I was able to see a bit. I spotted Sylvanas who was standing in front of the cell and was regarding me with pleasure. She didn't seem to want to open the door and let me free. Instead, she regarded me without saying anything.

After a while, she opened the door and dragged me out on the roughest way possible. She pushed me on the ground and pressed my face into the muddy ground with her foot, the heel of her other shoe was pressed in my back. It would be an understatement to say that it felt unpleasant.

Sylvanas tore my clothes apart and sat on my back, giggling as she noticed that I didn't even try to resist. My body felt so weak, so shattered after the time in that cell, that I had no energy left to fight back. I just laid there and allowed her to have fun with me, like hitting me over and over again or leaving deep cuts in my body. The dagger she used for it seemed to be poisoned because the pain I felt increased with each cut she made.

I couldn't even tell how long she had mistreated me before she had gotten up and had lifted me in the air with her hand on my throat. I had totally lost my sense of time during my stay in this torture cell. Sylvanas was so strong that she was able to hold me in the air with only one hand. Her red orbs observed my nude and beaten body with pleasure.

She carried me out of the dark dungeon, back to the elevator and flung me to the ground. She lifted me up as soon as the elevator had brought us to the next highest level. She walked with me back to her throne room and threw me against the wall. She gave her guards a signal, they approached me and tied me to one of the many columns which supported the ceiling. They placed a rotten apple on top of my head and stepped away.

A female ranger handed Sylvanas her bow and her quiver. The Banshee Queen pulled one arrow out of her quiver and knocked it. She let go of that arrow which hit the apple and nailed it to the column. The corner of her lips formed a wide grin when she pulled another arrow out of her quiver.

She regarded me with curiosity, my fear was a feast to her eyes. She shot the arrow, this time it hit my left upper tight and pierced through flesh and bones. A loud cry escaped my lips when a wave of pain rushed through my body. Normally, I wasn't able to feel pain but I was so weakened that my body was not able to ignore pain anymore. Also, the poison seemed to increase the amount of pain I was feeling. Another arrow bored its way through flesh and bones, this time Sylvanas had aimed for my left shoulder.

She watched me with pleasure as I suffered, my struggles to get free of the chains around my hands amused her. She shot three arrows at the same time which pierced through my upper body and prevented that I was able to move it even for a few inches. She lowered her bow and handed it back to the dark ranger who took it carefully and placed it on Sylvanas' throne. Sylvanas walked forward and stopped right in front of me. She stroked her chin with her fingers while making a thoughtful face.

"Hmm, what I'm going to do with you? So many choices... I could inflict so much pain on you as the Lich King had inflicted on me. It would be fair if you suffer the same way as I did"

"That is not fair" I said weakly and looked in her eyes. One of my eyes was swollen from her violent beating but the other was still healthy and clearly able to see.

"What did you say?" she asked as if she wasn't believing what I had just said.

"I said that it wouldn't be fair to punish me for something I hadn't done. I didn't kill Rhonin nor have I killed you or tortured you. I wasn't responsible for the fall of Quel'Thalas and the slaughtering of your people. I know that you are angry at him but you wouldn't hurt him if you hurt me" I said with a much stronger voice which was still a lot weaker than my normal voice.

"Oh, Jaina, my dear. You think that you are innocent but that's not the truth. First of all, you could have stopped Arthas from purging Stratholme and going to Northrend. You could have talked to him and convinced him to stay on the right path. You could have prevented so much, so much pain, death and destruction. You could have prevented the rise of the Lich King but you didn't. Instead, you left him when he had needed you the most. Basically, you pushed him on the wrong path which had caused the deaths of millions" she said, her voice didn't hide the anger she was feeling at this moment.

"Pff, what would you have expected from me? Arthas was angry to see his people suffer and die to the plague. He was so furious and wanted his revenge so badly that he forgot what was right and what was wrong. He didn't listen to Uther's and my advices. We had tried our best, maybe I could have tried harder but it would have been pointless in the end. When Arthas sets his mind on something, he wouldn't stop until he had achieved what he wanted. What else could I have done? Tell me" I cried out, my narrowed eyes stared into hers.

"Well, you could have used the advantage of a woman and use this beautiful body for your advantage" she said with an emotionless voice and ran her hand over my hip to my left breast, cupping it roughly. "With such a body, you could have convinced him easily" she taunted and gave me a mischievous grin.

"I'm not a whore and this wouldn't have changed anything" I hissed and gave her a hate-filled look. How could she think that it was my fault that Arthas had become mad? How could she think that I could have changed anything? What was wrong with this bitch? Convincing Arthas had been impossible back then. Even his mentor and friend Uther hadn't managed to prevent that he had followed the wrong path. What chances would I have had if not even Uther the Lightbringer could reach him?

I couldn't believe that Sylvanas was blaming me for what had happened to her and her former people, the high elves. It seems that Arthas had removed Sylvanas' common sense when he had raised her. I couldn't express how much I was hating her at this moment. I would do everything to convince her that I was not the one who was responsible for her suffering but she wouldn't listen to me. She was thinking that hurting me would also hurt him. She let out all of her anger and hatred on me because she couldn't hurt him

I swore that, if I will get away somehow, I will make her pay for what she was doing to me. The Lich King will find a way to rescue me and let her suffer. I was hoping that at least. I continued to stare at her with furious eyes, not showing any sign of weakness anymore.

"So...Back to my question. What should I do with you? If I kill you then I would kill the Lich King's whore which would make him very angry but that is not enough to satisfy me. This bastard shall suffer. I will torture him until he begs me to end his miserable life" she announced and gave me a wide and very provocative grin.

The dark ranger, who had taken her bow, stepped next to her and whispered something in her ear. It was so quiet that I couldn't understand it although they were standing directly in front of me.

"Velonara just told me how we could you" Sylvanas announced happily and stroke my left cheek.

"We will use you to lure the Lich King in a trap and make him pay for what he had done to me and my lover" said Sylvanas and wrapped her arm around the dark ranger's waist, pulling her closer. She placed a soft kiss on Velonara's cheek then she looked back at me and licked her lips in excitement and anticipation.

"What will we do with her now, honey?" asked the Banshee Queen and looked at Velonara who was regarding me closely.

"Let's do to her what her lover has done to us" Velonara said, her voice was filled with hatred but also with anticipation.

"As you wish, my dear" she responded and kissed her quickly before she turned back to me and ran her hands over my belly.

"What do you mean? Tell me, what do are going to do to me" I said with a demanding tone in my voice.

They giggled and looked at me with predatory eyes as if I was their prey under their mercy. "You will find that out soon enough" Velonara responded and caressed my left upper thigh softly.

* * *

Finally, it was over. I didn't know how long it had endured, how long they had their way with me. I was only glad that this was over, for now at least. Sylvanas and her girlfriend had abused me, injured me and had done many other unspeakable things to me.

I had never slept with another woman before and I had never imagined it. But this was definitely not the way how I would have imagined it. This was also not the way how I would have enjoyed it. To be honest, it hadn't felt unpleasant at all but that didn't mean that I would like to repeat it. Arthas had also abused me but in that situation, I had wanted it too. Getting abused by Sylvanas was not what I had wanted. Unfortunately, I had no other choice than bear whatever she wants to do with me and hope that she wouldn't kill me and burn my body.

I was hoping that Arthas would come for me and save me. Tyrande and Varian could also come and save me but that would be very unlikely because they didn't know that I was there. Nor did they wanted to risk that the agreement for support with the Horde would break if they would go to Undercity and free me. The only possibility they could try would be to negotiate with Sylvanas with the hope that she would let me free, which would be also unlikely.

Sylvanas had told me that she will use me to indirectly harm Arthas by torturing me and sexually abusing me. She wanted to use me as a bait to lure Arthas in her realm. She wanted to lure him in a trap and have her vengeance by slowly torturing him.

I couldn't allow that but I was not able to do anything to change something because I was tied to Sylvanas throne. I was still naked, hands shackled behind my back and my hair was a lot shorter than it used to be. The Banshee Queen had started to tear my hair out before she had taken a blade and had cut it. My white hair had become a lot shorter than before. My hair was not too short but it was not that long either. It didn't even reach to my shoulders. At least she had cut it so that it doesn't look like a total mess.

Sylvanas was sitting on her throne, with Velonara on her lap, and regarded me with an amused smile on her lips. Sylvanas was stroking her lover's cheek and massaged her shoulders while she spoke to a servant who was standing next to her. She gave the servant a small nod. He bowed to her and walked out of the throne room as fast as possible.

"I have good and bad news for you, Lady Proudmoore _"_ she announced, her smile became even wider. "Which do you want to hear first?" she asked and stood up as soon as Velonara had gotten off her lap.

"The good one" I responded and looked at the floor.

"Your beloved Arthas is taking the bait and coming for you. He will try to rescue you" she said and squat down. She placed her hand under my chin and lifted it, forcing me to look in her provocative face. She was looking at me with malicious joy and caressed my cheek softly. Something in my face must have changed which would explain the wide grins on Sylvanas' and Velonara's faces. I couldn't see my face but I was pretty sure that it reflected hope. Arthas will be coming for me or at least his servants will come. He will rescue you me out of this miserable place.

But with hope came also worry. What if Sylvanas' trap will be successful? What if she manages to capture him? What if she kills him? What if she tortures him in front of my eyes or if she tortures me in front of his eyes?

This must not happen. I was hoping that Arthas would be careful and not run straight in her trap. I didn't want to lose him, neither want I lose my own life. If Arthas would die, nothing would be left which would motivate me to keep moving on and endure every day. My world was nothing without him. The chance of getting him back was my only motivation to do anything. Without him, I would sit in a dark corner and would do nothing at all.

"Tell me about the bad news" I demanded with a strict voice. Sylvanas smile became even wider, she caressed my chin and my cheek softly while Velonara ran her fingers through my hair. I expected an answer from the Banshee Queen but she remained silent.

"TELL ME" I shouted impatiently, my narrowed eyes stared in her red ones.

Sylvanas chuckled and leaned in so that her mouth almost touched my right ear. She licked my outer ear and whispered. "We have prepared a trap for the Lich King. We will make sure that he won't get away if he is dumb enough and enter this city. We have prepared a special greeting for him. I give you a hint. This specialty is an upgraded and much deadlier version of the poison which the Cult of the Damned had used in Lordaeron. It's even better than the version which was used during the Battle of the Wrathgate"

She chuckled once again when she noticed the emotion change in my face. "Ah, don't be sad, human. We will take care of you when your master is gone" she whispered and ran the tip of a blade over my back, leaving a cut behind which reached from my neck to my bottom. Velonara giggled and licked up the trail of blood with joy.

"We don't really know if he will come personally to save you but somehow, I know that he will come. He tried to rescue you in Ashenvale so I'm pretty sure he will come to Undercity. Especially because we both have a score to settle. He wants to have me back in the Scourge and I want to kill him. This will be interesting" said Sylvanas and left another cut in my back.

"Don't underestimate him!" I said warningly.

"Hm?" She raised her eyebrows and looked at me with interest.

"Arthas is not that dumb as you expect" I responded and stared in her amused face.

"I don't think that he is dumb. I have to admit that he is a very good strategist. His only weakness... is you. That's how we will beat him. We would leave any other servant in Undercity but he would do everything to rescue you. Because he loves you. And his love for you will be his doom. I will promise you that" whispered Sylvanas and toyed with my hair.

"I don't think that he will come. He will send his minions to get me" I responded and continued to stare in her blood red eyes.

"If he doesn't come, then we find another way to lure them to us. The longer he waits to get you, the more time we have to play with you" she responded and smirked widely.

I was in Sylvanas' throne room again. This time, I was wearing clothes, if only they covered my breasts and my intimate part. I was still tied to her throne but the chain was longer which allowed me to walk around the throne within a diameter of five meters. The chains still prevented me from using magic but they didn't stick to my neck, my ankles and my wrists anymore.

I looked around, noticing that only a few guards were standing in the throne room because the others were needed elsewhere. The Scourge had started the siege of Undercity three weeks ago, meaning that most Forsaken, who were able to fight, were defending the Ruins of Lordaeron above the ground. Nobody had informed me over the past weeks so I didn't know which side was winning and which side was losing. I didn't even know if Arthas was leading the attack or if someone else did that for him.

I was afraid when I thought about the trap Sylvanas had mentioned. She had told me that it was an upgraded version of the blight which could kill the living and the dead. I was pretty sure that she wanted to lure him in this room and then flood it with this deadly poison gas. She could also wait until he arrives in this room, then kill me in front of his eyes and then kill him. I could only hope that Sylvanas' trap wouldn't work or that Arthas wouldn't come to save me and sent someone else to rescue me.

I tried to get the attention of the nearest guard, telling him I would fight against the Scourge if he would free me. Unfortunately, he didn't believe me and just ignored me. Dammit. It was worth a try.

Nothing happened during the next few days. The only change was that the guards were replaced by others. It was really boring to be shackled to the column and to be able to do nothing except waiting. I was asking myself if the Forsaken were that good in defending Undercity or if Arthas had sent too few troops for an attack on such an important and well-secured place.

Before I could find an answer to my question, a loud roar was hearable from outside the throne room. A forsaken warrior crashed through the wall next to the gate and landed in the middle of the throne room.

A few of Sylvanas best dark rangers ran into the room and drew their bows, aiming at someone who was not in my sight. They shot their arrows, their surprised reactions told me that they didn't kill their target. A few seconds later, I found out who they had tried to kill. It was no other than Selania who stepped in the room with an annoyed expression on her face.

Half of her face was covered by a mask which looked like the half of a skull. She had also a new arm. A lot of arrows stuck in her armour, in her undead flesh and even in her head. Although a few of these arrows should have pierced through her brain, she was still able to walk freely and fight without restrictions.

She made a large leap and landed in front of the dark rangers, slicing through them with a single strike. The guards moved immediately and rushed to her but they had no chance against her and her massive runeblades. She hacked them in little pieces then she turned to me and stared at me with a wicked smile on her lips.

"What are you waiting for? I asked and looked at her, noticing that my skin was tickling nervously.

"Do you really thought that I came here to save you after all that you have done to me?" she asked with narrowed eyes.

Was she serious? I had done nothing wrong to her. She was the one who had tormented and mistreated me. And now she was telling me that I have done something to her? What was wrong with her?

"What are you talking about?" I asked, one eyebrow raised.

She opened her jaw, wanting to say something but she didn't because she noticed that something was gliding through the air. It was an arrow which hit her in the only unprotected spot in her left shoulder. Selania flinched for a second and then pulled the arrow out, regarding it curiously. I recognized this arrow immediately by its tip and its fletching. Both were coloured in purple. The tip had been soaked in a purple liquid. I didn't need to examine it to know that it was poison. A very deadly poison.

Selania dropped the arrow on the floor and stamped it with her foot. She lifted her swords and looked at the person who had shot the arrow and entered the room at this very moment.

It was no other than the Banshee Queen, whose bow was lifted and another arrow was knocked. Behind her stood Velonara who was also ready to shot an arrow.

"Give up, Windrunner. You know that you can't win this battle"

"I won't let you take my prisoner and bring her to the Lich King" responded Sylvanas and shot her arrow, same did Velonara. Selania held her massive swords in front of her body and blocked both arrows with it. I heard the loud snarl from Sylvanas as she took another arrow out of her quiver and aimed for Selania's unprotected head.

"I don't want to free her. We don't need to fight" Selania said and lowered her weapons, signalizing Sylvanas that she didn't want to fight her. I blinked in surprise and looked at them, wondering if this was some sort of bait. Something about the face Selania was making told me that she was not joking. I couldn't believe what she had just said nor could I predict what she was planning. I wanted to say something, ask her why she came her if she didn't want to free me. I had a bad feeling about her motivates but I didn't dare to speculate about them.

"What do you want then?" asked Velonara, still aiming at Selania's head.

"I want to kill her of course"

"Well, I want that too" responded Sylvanas and gave Selania a small smile. "We just need to wait for the Lich King's arrival then we can finish her"

"You misunderstand me. I want that the Lich King believe that someone else killed her. I can't allow that he finds out that I have killed her" told Selania and came closer towards me.

"I'm sorry but I will kill her in front of the Lich King, not any sooner"

"Then we have to fight for the right to end her miserable life" said Selania with a calm voice and leaped right in front of Sylvanas. Selania hit her with a forceful kick and sent her to the ground, before the Banshee Queen or her lover could react. She rammed her swords in the floor and snatched the bow out of Velonara's hands, ramming her knee in her stomach. Selania grabbed the dark ranger's arm and broke it with ease, throwing her on the floor next.

Sylvanas got up and hit Selania with an arrow in the back. The death knight turned around and rammed her elbow in Sylvanas' face, causing that her nose broke and black blood flowed out. She turned around and hit Velonara with another kick, sending her once again on the floor. Sylvanas got up once again and rammed one of her daggers in Selania's hip. A loud snarl escaped the death knight's lips when Sylvanas rammed it deeper into her flesh until it almost disappeared in her body.

Selania slapped her with the back of her hand in the face and grabbed her, throwing her other her left shoulder so that the Banshee Queen landed on top of her lover. Both women got up and made large leaps to the other side of the room. They drew daggers out of their belts and threw them at their opponent. Selania got hit by five of them, little amount of black blood flowed out of each wound. Besides that, she didn't get hurt at all.

I noticed that Selania became even more impatient than she already was. I had never seen Selania getting impatient during a fight. She had always stayed calm and had continued to fight as if nothing had happened because she was always a lot stronger than her enemies. In this case, although she didn't need her weapons to injure the two women, she was really annoyed by her opponents. I was wondering why she wasn't using her weapons. This could only mean that the Lich King wanted Sylvanas alive and mostly unharmed. Maybe he wanted to settle a score and didn't want that Selania ended their lives or injured them too badly.

Sylvanas drew her bow and shot two arrows at the same time. One of them hit Selania and pierced through her neck, the other one missed her by a few inches. Selania spat a large amount of black blood out but still continued to walk towards the Banshee Queen, blocking the next arrow.

She didn't pull the arrow out, instead, she rushed to Sylvanas and jumped into the air, crashing her knee in her face. Sylvanas' head snapped back and she fell. Velonara cried out in anger and attacked Selania with her sword but the death knight blocked it with ease and separated Velonara's healthy arm from her body. The dark ranger screamed as she fell to the ground. She didn't even try to stand up, knowing that she couldn't do anything with her broken arm.

Selania held the tip of one of her swords in front of Velonara's throat, looking at Sylvanas as she spoke. "You could surrender, leave this room with your lover and don't come back as soon as I stay in Undercity. Or you can watch her die. It's your choice"

I looked at Sylvanas because I wanted to witness her reaction. On one hand, I didn't want that my torturer would continue to fight and eventually win, on the other hand, I didn't want to die, especially not through Selania's hands. I was hoping that Sylvanas would continue to fight and that the women would kill each other.

Unfortunately, Sylvanas decided to surrender. She helped her lover to get up, one arm around her waist while the other held the separated arm. She gave Selania a dangerous and threatening look before she walked out of the throne room. Selania turned around slowly and looked at me with a malicious smile on her lips.

I could swear, if I would be alive, my heart would have stopped beating in at that very moment. I was so afraid of her that my entire body was shaking. I was biting my lip nervously, trying to get free from the chains. Unfortunately, I didn't manage to get rid of them.

She walked slowly to me, her grin had become even bigger when she had observed my reaction with pleasure. She stopped in front of me pressed the edge of her sword against my throat, causing that little amount of blood flowed out of a small cut onto the sword's blade.

"Any last words?" she asked and took a huge swing with one of her swords. She didn't even allow me to answer. I closed my eyes, knowing that she was clearly aiming for my head.


	16. Miracle

_Jaina's POV_

I sensed that the sharp sword came rapidly closer to my head. The sword which was meant to kill me. The sword which would cut through me like butter. I didn't want to die. I knew that Selania would burn my body as soon as she would have beheaded me. I knew that she would tell Arthas that Sylvanas had killed me. Of course, it was would not be the truth but there was no other person who could prove the opposite because no one else was in this room.

Tears ran down my cheeks as the sword came closer to my head. I didn't want to die without having witnessed that the good Arthas could have been redeemed and freed from the Lich King's control. I didn't want to leave this world so soon. I had sacrificed a lot for saving Arthas, it would be a shame if I would leave this world without having achieved my goal. But my fate was not in my hands. It was in Selania's hand who was swinging her sword with the intention to kill me. I didn't know her reasons but I was pretty sure that she did it because she was jealous of me and really hated me. She was the one who will give me a peaceful death, at least I will die as a free person and not as the Lich King's puppet.

I kept my eyes closed, knowing that the final blow will happen in the next moment.

But nothing happened.

I opened my eyes and looked in Selania's surprised face. The sword had stopped a few inches in front of my head and didn't seem to be movable. Selania tried to push it further but it stuck in the air and remained unmovable. She dropped her other sword and tried to pull her sword away with both hands but she was not able to do it. It seemed that a mysterious power had bewitched the sword so that no one could use and move it. Selania gave me a surprised look and let go of her sword. She picked up her other sword and turned around, searching for someone.

Indeed, there was another person standing in the room. It was the Soul Collector who was leaning against an opposite column, arms crossed in front of his chest. He made an unemotional expression, his glowing eyes rested on Selania.

"What are you doing?" asked Selania and approached him slowly.

"I could ask you the same" he answered simply.

"That's none of your business" she hissed and stopped walking.

"Well, I'm serving the Lich King so it is my business when you want to kill his favourite servant. The Lich King will not be happy about your betrayal" he responded with a calm voice and looked at Selania as if he wasn't taking her seriously.

"He doesn't need to know that I am the one who kills her. She helped the mortals during the battles against us. She is the betrayer and betrayers will be punished and executed" hissed Selania and turned around, looking at me with a furious expression.

"She is not under the master's influence anymore. We will bring her back to the master and then she will belong to our ranks again. There is no need to kill her" said the Soul Collector and moved slowly towards the death knight.

"I don't care. I will kill her right now. You should go away and don't speak about this if you want to live" threatened Selania.

"Are you threatening me, _Commander Wildreaper_? he asked irritated, his eyes were narrowed.

"Maybe"

"You know that I can't allow this. I have clear orders to bring Lady Proudmoore back to our master"

"I don't care about your orders. I will kill her right now and you won't stop me"

"Pff, this counts as an act of treason. I'm sorry but I have to stop you" announced the Soul Collector and drew his massive axe from his back. The crystals, which stuck out of his body, started to glow immediately when his hand touched the axe.

"I will give you this one last chance, Commander. Surrender and I will forget that you have planned to murder the future queen"

"The future queen? This sounds so hilarious. She is unworthy of being his queen. I was supposed to be the master's queen. He had almost accepted me as his queen but then this stupid bitch joined us and twist our master's mind. She is making him weaker because she is a weak woman. She is unworthy of the master's special treatment. She doesn't deserve to be the master's favourite" cried out Selania and enclosed both of her hands around the hilt of her sword which runes glowed fearsomely red.

"And you are worthy in your opinion?" asked the Soul Collector and looked at her as if he wasn't believing any of her words.

"I'm worthy of the master's attention. I have sacrificed everything for the Scourge. I even killed my own husband and my children and raised them in the Lich King's name. I have done everything the master wanted from me, I even gifted him my body to satisfy his needs. I have done everything for the glory of the Scourge but he had abandoned me as soon as this little whore had joined us. She had corrupted our master, weakened him and caused that he started to feel again. He had changed, he had become more human. He even changed his plans because he wants to have her back. We both know that he would have never done that for anyone else. He even fought in the front line and suffered horrible wounds because he wanted to have her back. This whore has corrupted his mind and will doom the Scourge if she continues to cause that our master loses his sanity" shouted Selania aggressively and came closer.

"So, you want to kill her and then what?" he asked and regarded every move of her.

"I will become queen of the Scourge. Together with the Lich King, I will lead the Scourge to victory. I will cleanse every remain of weakness within the Scourge and conquer Azeroth with him" she explained.

"Pathetic"

"What did you say?" snarled Selania and gave him a furious look.

"Lady Proudmoore has not weakened the Scourge. It's right that her absence has caused that the master had changed. He is acting rashly and would sacrifice everything to get her but as soon as he has her back, he will behave like the superior strategist he always was. Lady Proudmoore is a very powerful mage and very useful member of the Scourge"

"Bullshit. She is nothing. This whore has to die for the glory of the Scourge" hissed Selania and pointed the tip of her blade at me.

"You are making a huge mistake, Commander"

"No, I'm doing the best for the Scourge"

The Soul Collector closed his eyes and shook his head slowly. He opened them again and looked at me, then at Selania. "Then I have to stop you"

"Try it, pathetic demon. Show me if the master's efforts to get a soul harvesting demon under his control were really worth it" shouted Selania and charged at the Soul Collector. He didn't hesitate and lifted his axe, blocking Selania's first attack with ease. She snarled then she pulled her sword back and swung it again, this time hitting him and leaving a deep cut in his left shoulder. I was surprised that no barrier had protected him. As if it could only protect him against spells and missiles which would be shot at him from distance. I wasn't sure which of them should win because both outcomes would be bad for me.

I didn't want that the Soul Collector would win because he would bring me back to the Lich King so that I will be influenced by him again. But I didn't want that Selania would win either because she would kill me. Even the scenario where they kill each other would be bad for me because Sylvanas would kill me as soon as Arthas shows up. I wasn't sure for who I should cheer for. I wish I could get free but the shackles held me in place. I could do nothing except watching their duel.

None of them had the upper hand during the first few minutes. They traded hits and blows and wounded the other but none of these wounds was fatal. The Soul Collector's wounds regenerated quickly but I noticed that this ability drained portions of his power, making him a bit weaker with every wound which was healed this way. They fought for almost fifteen minutes this way before they knocked each other away.

The demon landed on the left side of the room, the huge cutting wound in his torso was closed within a few seconds. Selania landed on the other side, her upper body and arms were covered by several deep cutting wounds out of which black blood flowed out. Unlike the demon's wounds, hers didn't heal.

I was wondering how large her amount of blood was. Every other creature of the Scourge would have already lost all of the blood which had remained in its body. Of course, as an undead, the loss of all of her blood wouldn't affect her nor would it restrict her. The dark magic which kept her alive also caused that she was able to function without any blood in her veins.

Selania ignored that her upper body was covered by her own blood. She didn't move and focused her power. A loud war cry escaped her lips as the size of her body increased and a visible red aura enveloped her body. The death knight became almost as large as the demon and the colour of her eyes changed to a very dark red.

She walked to the sword, which still stuck in the air, and grabbed it, managing to move it with a lot of effort. She broke the magical spell which had disabled her sword and managed to swing it again without a problem. A quiet snarl came out of the Soul Collector's mouth but he didn't let himself be unsettled by this.

The corner of his lips formed a small smile when Selania landed directly in front of him and executed swift strikes with both swords. One of them hit the demon and nearly separated the hand which was carrying the axe. He landed a forceful kick in return which knocked Selania against the nearest column. The column shattered in little pieces when Selania was thrown through it and landed a few feet behind it.

"Ah, come one. Is that all that you have got? I heard that you nearly killed the mighty Lo'Gosh with only one arm. I had expected more of you. I have to say that I'm really disappointed" he taunted and walked towards me.

"Don't you dare to think that this is already over, demon" she hissed and got up. She bit her bottom lip hard and charged at the Soul Collector. He dodged her attacks at the last moment and managed to snatch one of her swords away, throwing it to the other side of the room. Selania's roar was so loud at it really hurt my ears. She tried to hit the demon again but he blocked her attack and disarmed her completely. Selania, on the other hand, managed to trick him and snatch his axe away, throwing it out of the throne room.

"So, our fists will speak for us. I'm fine with that" he said and lifted his hands, out of which knuckles sharp crystals grew out.

"I will punch that dumb smile out of your ugly face" shouted Selania and attacked him. He reacted quickly and ducked beneath her swing and pressed his fists into the spot in her belly which wasn't protected by armour. Selania spat a large amount of blood out but that didn't stop her from reacting.

She grabbed the demon and flung him with all of her strength against the wall on the other side of the room. She rushed to him, then the next attack followed. The Soul Collector duck beneath her swing so that her hand broke through the wall and stuck in it. Selania snarled and needed a few moments to get her hand free.

Suddenly, the wall next to her exploded and threw them away. I spotted a huge hole in the wall out of which a thick green cloud flowed out. The cloud spread out and reached Selania and the Soul Collector. I knew immediately that this cloud was the blight, the Forsaken version of the plague which had been created to kill the living and the Scourge. I noticed the impact on them was devastating. The skins of the two fighters had started to dissolve quickly. They rushed out of the cloud, which had come out of Sylvanas' hidden trap, and ran to the middle of the room. The Soul Collector cast a spell which prevented that the blight would come to them.

The Soul Collector's wounds needed a lot more time to heal. Selania's skin didn't dissolve anymore but her wounds didn't heal. Half of her skin had been dissolved, revealing a lot of her bones and muscles.

"This bitch has filled these walls with this dangerous poison" shouted Selania enraged and regarded her left hand which was free from any piece of skin.

"Give up, Commander. We have to get out of here before more of these traps explode"

"I won't leave before we kill that whore. She will die now by my hand" she hissed and pointed at me.

"I can't allow that" hissed the demon and stepped in front of me. I looked between the two, noticing that one of the many crystals, which stuck out of his left shoulder, was heavily damaged and threatened to burst. Selania attacked him and accidentally hit the damaged crystal with her fist, causing that it burst. The bursting of the crystal caused an explosion which threw all of us against the nearest wall, even me. The explosion had destroyed my shackles so that I was able to walk freely again.

My eyes widened in surprise when I noticed that hundreds of souls flowed out of the remains of the crystal. These souls rushed through the room without a real destination. I could swear that I was able to hear hundreds of quiet cries and shouts.

"What have you done?" the Soul Collector cried out. I noticed that the souls were attacking him. But they didn't only attack him, a few dozens of souls attacked Selania and me, showing us no mercy. I guessed that these souls were angry and full of hatred because they had been locked in the crystal for numerous years. Since the very moment, where they were free, they wanted to have vengeance for being imprisonment for so long.

The Soul Collector had no other choice than to run out of the room. Unfortunately for him, a lot of these souls followed him and didn't stop attacking him. It was predictable that Selania didn't want to flee because she wanted to end my life. She came wanted to come closer but the souls injured her and forced her to step away from me.

I blinked in surprise when I noticed the familiar shape of a soul. I observed the soul, which was floating in front of me until I was sure that my eyes weren't tricking me. I was pretty sure that Rhonin's soul was floating in front of me. I was not one hundred percent sure if he was smiling at me but it looked like he would. It was really hard to tell because his face blurred.

I could not explain what happened but somehow the souls had stopped to attack me since his arrival. He was pointing at Selania as if he would give the souls an order. The souls, which had attacked me, rushed to Selania and attacked her. The accumulation of souls lifted her in the air, threw her against the ceiling, against the walls, then they pushed her on the floor and attacked her over and over again.

She tried to stand up, tried to fight back but none of her attacks were effective because she wasn't able to touch the souls. All of her attacks went through them while they hit her and injured her more and more. Together, the hundreds of souls formed a spectral fist and punched her, letting her land on the floor.

She laid there, her body was heavily injured and not even the strong necromantic power which held her body together was strong enough to allow her to move this broken shape. Her left arm was separated, her right arm was entirely broken and twisted in an unnatural angle. One of her eyes was missing and her entire body was covered by scratches, deeps cuts and gaping wounds.

She was laying on her belly, her head was lifted a little, the corners of her mouth twitched, her only remaining eye stared at me.

"I have sacrificed everything for the Scourge. I have done everything so that the Scourge will be victorious. I have dedicated my undead life to the Scourge and this is what I get in return?" she laughed out hysterically, her voice sounded hoarse.

" As you sow, so you shall reap. This is for Vissia, for Rhonin and for the many times you have bullied and mistreated me" I said with an emotional voice and lifted my left hand. I created a small flame which set Selania's hair on fire. The flame spread quickly, it didn't take long until her entire body was burning. Her screams and begs for mercy sounded like the sweetest melody in my ears. I observed the happening until only ashes remained of the once mightiest women of the Scourge.

I turned around, noticing that Rhonin was looking at me with a small smile on his face. I noticed that his face was not blurred anymore so that I was able to recognize his facial features. His blue eyes, which rested on me, were showing hope and satisfaction.

"I thank you, Jaina. You have avenged my death and the death of your friend" he said and hugged me. I winced when his spectral body touched mine but relaxed a few moments later. His voice sounded different, much thinner than I remembered. It was weird what I was able to feel his touch although he was only a spirit which was trapped between the afterlife and this reality. I returned the hug but my hands glided through his blue glowing ghostly body so that I was hugging myself instead, which must have looked really weird.

"It seems that I'm not done with this world. I found no redemption although you have killed my murderer" he said and flew around me, regarding me from all angles.

"I would be glad about it, Rhonin. You are able to see Vereesa and your kids again. You are able to speak to them, spent time with them until you find out what traps you in this world. You could also tell Vereesa that I didn't murder you" I responded and gave him a small smile.

"It was a clever idea from Selania to let Vereesa believe that you killed me. Her plan to kill you was almost perfect. Fortunately, she didn't succeed"

"We should go another container of the blight explodes. I'm wondering how you have managed to command them"

"I don't really know" he responded. " I just had tried to protect you. I had wished that nothing would happen to you and that Selania would die. The souls had started to attack Selania as if they had read my mind and respected my wishes"

"These souls could be useful for us if you really manage to control them" I responded. I created a portal while I observed the souls who surrounded Rhonin and seemed to wait for his orders.

"I'm afraid but I don't believe that I can step through any portal" he said with a weak and sad smile on his lips.

"Can you order the souls to follow you out of Undercity? We could really need them for the war against the Scourge" I asked and looked at him curiously.

"Well... I could try it at least" he said with a voice which told me that he was anything but convinced that he could do that.

"I hope that this works. See you later, Rhonin" I said and gave him a small smile. He gave me a nod and pointed at the portal. I looked at him one more time before I stepped through it.

* * *

_Lich King's POV_

I was sitting on my throne, my gaze rested on the creature in front of me. I gritted my teeth and my eyes were narrowed. Anger started to boil up in me but I managed to control myself. I managed to hold my anger back. I also managed to not charge at the creature and thrust Frostmourne through its heart.

"What did you say?" I repeated angrily and stood up, walking towards the demon who was bowing to me in the middle of the platform.

"Jaina is still alive but she managed to flee out of Undercity" the Soul Collector responded with a calm voice, not showing any signs of fear. Most of my servants would have been afraid when they would have reported such bad news to me. He was not afraid of me which surprised and impressed me a little.

"How did she escape? Why didn't you stop her? Your mission was very simple. Invade Undercity and save her. How do you explain your failure?" I asked with a very loud and aggressive voice. I stopped in front of him and looked down at him, still not allowing him to stand up.

He looked at me, his green eyes were narrowed and observed my face. He opened his mouth and responded "I almost had her but Selania had other plans. She had tried to kill Jaina. I defended Jaina but I was forced to retreat. Selania had destroyed one of my crystals so that the souls escaped and attacked me. They forced me out of the room and then..." I didn't let him finish, instead, I interrupted him by hitting him hard in the face. My punch was so powerful that he fell backwards, blood flowed out of his burst cheek. He got up and bowed to me, showing me that he was still respecting me.

"So, you want to tell me that the mission to save Jaina didn't succeed at all. You also want to tell me that you failed in capturing Sylvanas and that you also lost almost one thousand souls?" I shouted angrily and lifted my hand again.

"As I have said, Selania had betrayed us. She had tried to kill Jaina because she was jealous of her and she thought that Jaina weakens you and the Scourge" he explained and looked at me, asking for permission to explain what had happened in Undercity.

I turned around and walked a few feet away, signalizing that he was allowed to stand up and speak.

"I don't know why she had decided to betray us. I had spoken to her and had tried to convince her that killing Jaina would lead to nothing. She didn't listen to me that's why I was forced to fight her. Unfortunately, we accidentally activated one of the Banshee Queen's hidden traps. The blight came out of the walls and weakened and injured us. Selania chose to continue to fight and destroyed one of my crystals so that I was forced to retreat. Either the souls had killed Selania or Jaina had made the final blow. I don't really know. What matters is that Jaina isn't really dead. Unfortunately, Selania is gone. I can't even locate her body with the help of her soul so we can't even raise her again" he told.

"Once again, we lost a battle and didn't even get Jaina back. That's very disappointing. You know that we can't allow us another loss. We lost so many servants during the last weeks. If we keep going like this, then we will lose the entire war against the mortals" I said with a strict voice and regarded him, hoping that he would say something which would make my mood better.

"We didn't lose the siege of Undercity. We managed to drive Sylvanas and her forces out of Undercity"

"Finally, some good news. So, we have conquered another important base of our enemies" I responded satisfied, the corner of my lips formed a small smile.

"Well..." he said. He was still looking at me but didn't dare to speak any further.

"What? Tell me what is wrong now!" I hissed loudly and stepped closer to him. He kept standing on the same spot as if he was glued to it.

"The Banshee Queen flooded Undercity with the blight. No living creature or undead creature can enter Undercity without dying immediately to the deadly poison"

"So, I can't enter my old home?"

"Unfortunately, yes"

"So, she decided to leave it to no one if she can't keep it. What a clever bitch"

"What do we do now?" he asked.

"Chasing Jaina has turned out to be very cost-intensive. Let's stop trying to get her back for now. We will get her anyways, sooner or later. We should focus on the primary targets and conquer the remaining territories in Northrend. Then we will continue with the other continents on Azeroth" I answered and turned around, walking back to my throne.

"Sounds like a good plan. What will be my task?"

"You could support Kel'Thuzad to conquer the Borean Tundra.

Lana'thel will lead the campaign in Sholozar Basin. Meanwhile, I will look for a new champion which is worthy enough to replace Selania. Her death is a huge loss for us and weakens us"

"I'm hoping that you will find a good replacement, master" he responded and bowed to me. I nodded to him. He nodded back and walked to the teleporter in the middle of the platform. He looked at me one more time before he disappeared through the teleporter.

* * *

_Jaina's POV_

The first thing I did when I arrived in Stormwind City, was to check my surroundings. I found out that I was in the near of the great market, which was located near the harbour in the west of Stormwind City. I noticed a few citizens who were giving me strange looks. A few humans were cheering when they saw me as if they were surprised to see me in one piece. I still didn't know how long I had been held in Undercity but It seemed that I had been away for a while, according to the relieved faces of those who were happy to see me.

Two girls at the age of sixteen approached me and told me that they were glad that the Banshee Queen didn't get me. I gave them a small smile and thanked them that I was important to them. They told me that they were my greatest fans and they began to ask me a lot of questions. I tried to answer most of their questions, but I didn't answer those about the Scourge and about the Lich King.

The girls kept asking me questions about my hobbies, about what I liked and what I hated and other questions about my private life. I was glad that people were still admiring me but these girls were annoying me a little with their numerous questions.

Fortunately, a familiar voice told them to leave me alone. The girls apologized to me with dark-red blushes on their faces, then they turned around and walked away quickly. I turned around and gave my rescuer a small smile. It was Anduin Wrynn who didn't hesitate and approached me.

I gave him a quick hug and ran my fingers through the hair of the young boy. He was about thirteen years old and wasn't afraid to see me like this. I didn't remember having seen him since my transformation so I was more than just surprised that he wasn't shocked to see me as an undead. Either he had already seen me before or he was just a very brave boy. Maybe he had seen me for a short moment when I had been busy talking with his father. That could be possible.

"What are you doing in Stormwind, aunt Jaina?" he asked with his high-pitched voice and regarded with a curious look.

 _Aunt Jaina_. I had almost forgotten that I had spent a lot of time with before I died. We had been so close that he had regarded me as his aunt although we weren't related. It seemed that he was still regarding me as a member of his family, although I should look like a monster for him. Like a monster from a child's nightmares.

Of course, I was glad that he was treating me as if I was a normal person. He couldn't know that I was not a normal person anymore. My appearance had drastically changed and I was regarding the things from a different perspective since I died. I was pretty sure that Anduin thought that I was still the same person. The truth was that I had become a different person after I had been raised and had been forced to serve Scourge.

I didn't feel the same hatred, I had felt after my resurrection. I wasn't the innocent young woman anymore I had been a year ago. I had changed over the past year but I wasn't able to tell if this change was good or bad for me and for the others.

"I'm here to speak with your father, your majesty" I responded and gave him a small smile. "It's good to see you again. Have you grown up? I don't remember that you have been so tall the last time I have seen you". I ran my fingers through his soft blond hair and caressed his scalp softly.

"Aunt Jaina... You are ruining my hairstyle" he complained and made a few steps away from me. I giggled but stopped as soon as I had realized that the noises I made sounded like a creaking crypt door. Anduin took his hands away from his ears as soon as I had stopped making these unpleasant sounds.

"Sorry, my prince" I said and placed my hand on his left shoulder, rubbing it softly while I gave him an innocent smile.

"You can call me Anduin if you want, we don't need to be so formal"

"As you wish, Anduin" I responded.

"You should come with me if you want to talk to my father" said Anduin and pointed in the direction behind him. I nodded and followed him. Most of the citizens regarded us with curiosity and surprise. They were not only surprised that I was in this city, but they were also surprised that their prince was escorting me. I ignored their glances and followed Anduin without stopping. We didn't talk much and reached our destination after a walk of almost fifteen minutes.

The guards bowed to their prince and allowed us to enter Stormwind Keep, the king's residence. The first persons I saw when I entered the throne room, were Varian and Vereesa who were having a loud discussion. I stayed in the entrance and listen to their discussion. I found out that they were arguing about Vereesa's behaviour and her decision to bring me to Undercity.

Vereesa's arms were crossed in front of her chest, her eyebrows were raised and she was biting her bottom lip. Varian's facial featured told me that he was very angry about Vereesa's acts and behaviour. He was even calling her a traitor and threaten her with serious consequences. Vereesa, on the other hand, was not admitting that she had done something wrong. I had listened to their conversation for only a few minutes, nevertheless, I was pretty sure that their conversation would lead to nowhere.

"Hello guys" I said when I realized that they still hadn't noticed our arrival. They turned around immediately and regarded me with huge eyes.

"Jaina... you are still alive" Varian shouted out.

"Well... not technically but I'm still among you"

"You know what I mean. I'm glad that the Banshee Queen hasn't killed you" Varian responded. He walked to me and pulled me in a tight hug.

"It is a real miracle indeed. Selania had tried to kill me and the Soul Collector had tried to prevent that so they had fought against each other. In the end, I was able to escape" I told and stepped back from Varian, giving him a small smile.

"You are not gone forever but that doesn't mean that Vereesa's actions have no consequences. She had brought you to Horde territory, knowing that the chance that the Banshee Queen would kill her, was pretty high. This could be counted as an act of treason"

"She killed Rhonin. She is a traitor" exclaimed Vereesa and looked at us with angry and tensed face.

"How often do I have to say that I didn't kill him?" I asked and made a step forward. I noticed that she lifted her left hand and was about to hit me but Varian stepped between us and stopped her from doing something she might regret later.

"Whatever you have seen is fake. I'm pretty sure that Selania had wanted you to think that I have killed him. I'm pretty sure that the record you have seen was prepared. She initiated all of this so that she could kill me and tell the Lich King that Sylvanas did it. I haven't done anything and I'm shocked that you thought that I would ever hurt or even kill Rhonin" I said and made a step closer to her.

"I don't believe you" she hissed.

"Why should I kill Rhonin? He was my mentor and my friend. Tell me Vereesa, why should I kill him?" I asked and stepped right in front of her.

"Because you are still working for the Scourge. You have never been on our side. You have pretended to be on our side so that you could betray us and weaken us after you have found out enough secret information for the Lich King" she hissed and regarded me with narrowed eyes.

"I wouldn't have come to this place after escaping Undercity if I would be still working for the Scourge. It would have travelled to Icecrown instead" I argued and shifted my gaze from Vereesa to Varian who was looking at us with a face which told me that he was not sure what to think or what to do.

"You could also say that to convince us to trust you again. I don't believe any of your words. Don't believe her, King Varian. She is trying to trick us again. We cannot trust her" said Vereesa and turned to the king of the Alliance, hoping that he would listen to her and understand her.

I stayed calm and didn't respond although I knew that she was wrong. I could say something and argue against her but I remained silent and waited for Varian's response.

"Vereesa..." he said and made a long pause before he continued to speak. "I don't believe that this is one of her mind games. You have you even examined his corpse? Was he killed by one of Jaina's typical spells?"

"I... I don't know... I haven't examined his corpse" she stuttered, blinked a few times and looked at us as if she was trying to remember something.

"Then we should do that and check the record " said Varian and was about to turn around when a familiar voice was hearable from the other side of the room, causing him to stop. The eyes of every person in the room widened when they saw Rhonin's spectral body which was hovering over the floor.

"You don't need to do that. Jaina is innocent. She is not responsible for my death" he said and flew towards us.

"Rhonin... is it... Is this really you or I am hallucinating this?" asked Vereesa, trying to figure out if the spectral person in front of her was real.

"I wish I could say that this is only a bad dream... I'm afraid that I have to say that this is real. Selania Wildreaper killed me and had tried to put the blame on Jaina" he responded and put a hand on Vereesa's cheek, caressing it softly. I noticed that tears were forming in her eyes and were about to roll down her cheeks. All colour had faded out of her face, her bottom lip trembled. She looked at the ghostly Rhonin for a while, then she looked at me, her eyes were widened in surprise and shock.

"I... I don't know what to say..." she stuttered and looked back at Rhonin who gave her a small smile.

"Maybe you should start with an apology, honey" he whispered and pointed at me. Vereesa hesitated for a moment before she walked to me and wanted to hug me. I made a step backwards and lifted my hands a little, telling her that I didn't want to be hugged right now.

"I'm so sorry Jaina. I..." she started but I silenced her by pressing my index finger against her lips.

"You don't need to apologize. I can understand how you must have felt when you have spotted his corpse. I can comprehend you a little. I won't forgive you so easily but I won't hate you. I hope that you can understand that I will need some time to forgive you" I responded and gave her a weak smile. She nodded her head, giving me a sad look.

"Yes, I can understand that" she said quietly and looked at her husband.

"How is that possible? she asked and try to touch him, finding out that her hand went through his spectral body.

"The Soul Collector took my soul after Selania killed me. I was trapped in one of his crystalline prisons until it was destroyed. I was freed with hundreds of other souls which are following me and obeying my orders. I'm not alive anymore but I'm still able to walk around and even cast spells" he told and create a small fireball between his hands.

"This is incredible" said an astounded Anduin.

"It is indeed" responded Rhonin.

"How did you get here so quickly? I thought you would need a few days or even weeks to get to Stormwind" I looked at him curiously.

"I can't really explain what happened. I left Undercity with the other souls and suddenly I stood in front of Stormwind Keep while the Souls are in the near of Stormwind. Somehow, I can sense them and I also know where they are. They are hiding in a cave.

"Would these souls fight for us against the Scourge?" asked Varian, his eyes didn't hide the hope which was overcoming him.

"Yes, I think that I can command them in a battle and make them fight for us. I just need to practice with them a little" announced Rhonin. Similar signs of hope were also visible in his face. He flowed in circles around us and was more than just excited about having his own army which would listen to his commands.

"I want to see them with my own eyes" told Varian.

"Alright, then follow me" replied Rhonin and flew towards the room's exit. We didn't hesitate and followed him.


	17. Ghosts and Souls

_Jaina's POV_

I regarded the group of souls from afar. Unlike Rhonin, their spectral shape didn't look like their former selves. Their forms were twisted and distorted. After regarding them closely, I noticed that most of these shapes had an upper body and little sphere on their shoulders which seemed to be their heads. They had no lower bodies. Instead of hands, they had claws. They looked like shades, the only difference was that the colour of their spectral bodies was light-blue instead of black.

I had the impression that the only emotion they felt and expressed at this moment was anger. Somehow, I knew, that without Rhonin who could control them, they would attack anyone in their near. I didn't know why they were listening to Rhonin but I was glad that they did and would support us in future battles.

"And you are sure that you can fully control them?" asked Varian, looking at Rhonin. The former leader of the Kirin Tor nodded and pointed in a direction. The shades didn't hesitate and moved to this position. They looked at their chosen leader as if they were asking for more instructions.

"See, they obey me" responded Rhonin and commanded the shades to come back.

"Their assistance would be very important for us. We need the help of every ally we can get. The Scourge may have lost a large portion of their army during the past weeks but that doesn't mean that we can beat them easily. We have to be careful and find more allies" said Varian and regarded the shades thoughtfully.

"You have told me that you have negotiated with a few tribes in Northend while you had worked for the Scourge. Have you thought about asking them again or trying to trick them?" Vereesa asked me.

"What do you mean with trick them?" I asked curiously.

"Well, you could pose as an ambassador of the Scourge and tell them that the Lich King wants that they attack a certain location or that they should go to a certain place. We could lure them into a trap and capture them or kill them. You could also try to convince them to work for us instead of the Lich King. I don't think that they want to live with the risk to be raised as undead one day when the Lich King doesn't need their help anymore" she explained.

"Well... I think the Furbolgs would be easier to convince. The Drakkari trolls on the other hand... I don't think that convincing them would be easy because the Alliance and the Horde had killed the father of their queen years ago. I don't think that she would forgive us and I also think that the Lich King has stationed troops in the near of the Drak'Tharon Keep. We could expect that he has smuggled a few of his servants in the troll ranks to make sure that everything is alright there. I think that these servants would inform them about my presence and then they will try to capture me"

"I think that Jaina is right. We shouldn't try to convince the Furbolgs or the Drakkari trolls. Instead, we should figure out how to defeat the Soul Collector. According to Jaina's reports, he seems to be almost invincible" statemented Varian.

"He is not invincible" responded Rhonin. A smile appeared on the corners of his lips when he saw our questioning faces. "He might have seemed to be invincible when you or Selania had attacked him because he had healed each of his wounds in short time. But he was not invincible when the souls had attacked him. You have forgotten that they had forced him to retreat and they had hurt him really badly"

"So, his only weakness is that the souls are able to hurt him pretty badly?" I asked.

"Yes, this is the only weakness we know. But don't forget that he had gotten weaker when the crystal had been destroyed and the souls had been freed"

"That means that we have to destroy the crystals and use the trapped souls against him. Unfortunately, only melee attacks can really hurt him because he likes to protect himself with anti-magic shells" I concluded.

Rhonin gave me a small smile and spoke "With the help of the souls we might be able to defeat him but we have to make sure that he won't get away"

"We have to lure him in a trap in which he can't use any form of magic so that he can't teleport away or escape with the help of magic" I announced and shifted my gaze between the faces of the present persons.

"We will make up a detailed plan with the dragons. They are very wise creatures, so I'm pretty sure they could help us with the plan to get rid of the Soul Collector.

"You are right, Varian. We should do that but we should also discuss with them what we will do while the Scourge conquers the remaining territories in Northrend" I responded.

"Then we should go to the dragons now" suggested Vereesa.

"Do that. I will stay here and think about a better place where the shades could stay. I can't be too far away from them because they would go rampage if I'm not in their near. I can barely stay in Stormwind without losing control over them. I wish I could help you but I can't leave them alone" told Rhonin and waved with his left hand.

"It's okay, Rhonin. See you soon" I said and nodded at him, then I turned around and created a portal. I waited until Vereesa and Varian had stepped through, then I walked through it and closed it as soon as I came out on the other side.

* * *

_The Soul Collector's POV_

"There it is. Warsong Hold. The last remaining fortress of the Horde in Northrend" I whispered quietly. Although this sentence wasn't addressed for the Lich King, his voice was still hearable in my mind. The reason for this was that he spoke to me with the use of his telepathy abilities.

'You know what to do, right?' he asked. I didn't miss the slight tone of doubt in his voice. Sometimes, I wished that he wasn't able to communicate like this with me. Sometimes I wished that he would just leave me alone and let me do my tasks without reminding me about a lot of things. I was not a child anymore. I was not a fool who would forget everything. I was not a weakling who needed his guidance. Still, he spoke to me almost all the time. Sometimes, he really helped me but most of the times his voice annoyed me.

Of course, I didn't tell him that his presence in my head was annoying me. He had little tolerance for creatures who resisted him, doubted him or even questioned his decisions. He was the powerful leader of the Scourge who did no mistake. At least, he wanted that we believe that. I was doubting the Lich King's decisions. I didn't value Lady Proudmoore as high as he did. She could be a very powerful member for the Scourge but she wasn't worth the losses we had suffered. The Lich King would do everything to rescue her even if that means that we would lose almost our entire army.

I didn't know what had changed him. A year ago, he would never have risked such a large number of soldiers for only one person. I was pretty sure that Lady Proudmoore was the reason for his behaviour change. He had become softer and was feeling positive emotions again, which could be pretty bad for us if he continues to change.

At least, he seemed to have caught himself and was reasonable again. He was following his main goal to rule over Azeroth instead chasing for this woman. That was a good sign. The never-ending chase for that woman would have led to the Scourge's defeat in the end. We had already lost a lot of servants during the past weeks, trying to get her for years would have destroyed us in the end. At least this chase was over.

The future queen of the Scourge was currently in the hands of our enemies. I will change that and bring her back to the Lich King. If I would be her, I would hide and never come out. But she had other plans. Instead of hiding, she assisted the defence of the Warsong Hold in the Borean Tundra.

Either she was foolish or she was trying to prove that she wasn't afraid of us. It didn't matter what she was thinking because she won't have a chance against me. This time, I won't hesitate and get her as fast as possible instead of toying with her. I wouldn't rush this because I wanted to have her back. I would only hurry because the Lich King's talking was driving me crazy. I wanted him to stop talking and the best way to do that was to satisfy him which meant that I had to capture Lady Proudmoore.

'Have you heard me?' the Lich King's voice asked after I had been silent for a few minutes.

'I have heard you, master' I responded through telepathy.

'Good, then join my troops and bring my Jaina to me'

'As you wish, master' I said and shifted my gaze from the sky to the massive building which stood a few hundred feet away from me. It stood on top of a large mountain which was surrounded by a large and deep, circular-shaped gorge. A lot of soldiers were fighting at its bottom. Most of them were orcs who were roaring loudly when they charged at their undead opponents.

I stood on a large plateau in the near of the gorge's edge. A few feet next to me was a bridge which connected this plateau to the mountain, meaning that they were on the same level of height. I regarded the skirmish between the orcs and my unit on the bottom of the gorge for a few moments, then I looked up and checked my surroundings.

I spotted Lady Proudmoore in front of the fortress' main entrance. She was casting spell after a spell and shot them at the nearest undead creatures. I noticed even from afar that she was pretty exhausted. An undead didn't get exhausted too quickly, especially the mages held out for a while. Her exhausted state could only mean that she had fought for days without a pause. That should give me a huge advantage, although I didn't need one because I was a lot stronger than her.

I looked at the largest black crystal which came out of the back of my right hand. I could see every soul, which was imprisoned in this crystal, with my naked eye. The souls wandered aimlessly through the little world in which they were trapped in. I knew that these souls were suffering in their prison, that was the reason why the souls had been so angry at me when they had been accidentally released by Selania.

Billions of souls were captured in the numerous crystals which stuck out my body. The loss of these few hundreds of souls should normally make no difference for me. But in this case, their loss mattered because I was so close to my transformation that their loss meant that I would have to wait longer. Either I will get them back as soon as possible or I have to collect more souls which will require some time. I didn't like to wait but I had no other choice.

I shifted my gaze back to Jaina and regarded her for a moment. Once again, the Lich King's voice sounded in my head. 'What are you waiting for? Jaina shows up after five months of hiding and you are doing nothing except staring at her. Go and get her, demon'

I gritted my teeth, wishing that I could cut his voice out of my head. Unfortunately, it was not possible. 'Don't worry, I got this' I assured and walked towards the long bridge. I walked a lot faster than I usually would and reached the other end of the bridge in a short time.

A volley of arrows greeted me as soon as I put a foot on the mountain. I didn't need to do anything because the barrier appeared around my body and blocked all arrows. Two huge tauren and a female troll charged at me and tried to injure me with their sharp weapons. I sidestepped the attacks of the tauren and shattered the troll's sword with my bare hand. She looked at me in disbelief, her eyes were widened widely.

The corners of my lips formed a spiteful smile when I bashed the tauren to the ground and beheaded both of them with my massive axe. I closed my hand around the troll's throat and started to throttle her. I heard the souls in the crystals crying out, begging me to spare her. Ignored them and looked in the troll's widened eyes. The only emotion her ugly face was showing was fear. I dropped this disgusting creature to the ground after I had strangled her.

I held my hand above her corpse and drained her soul out of her dead body. The souls in my crystals started to go rampage but they were far too weak to cause anything. It was impossible for them to get out of their prisons. Their only hope was that someone would destroy the crystals but this time I will make sure that no prison will be destroyed. I sucked the souls out of the dead tauren and walked in Jaina's direction.

She was about one hundred feet away from me but she was not alone. Between us stood at least twenty soldiers from the Alliance and the Horde. Seven of them were mages, the rest of them were warriors, paladins, death knights and other fighters who preferred melee combat. I knew that the mages wouldn't be able to do anything against me and the melee fighters were far too weak to seriously harm me.

The two nearest orc warriors were dumb enough to charge at me without assistance. They became victims of my axe and got a well-deserved quick death. Jaina set their bodies on fire which didn't change anything. Our necromancers wouldn't be able to raise them anymore but I was still able to absorb their souls because the fire could only burn their bodies and not their souls.

Even the other eighteen opponents were no match for me. I killed all of them within a few minutes and absorbed their souls. I looked at Jaina who was the only remaining member of the little group. She stood in front of the closed doors of Warsong Hold and prepared a spell. I didn't need to find out which spell she was casting because my barrier would block it anyway. I sprinted forward and stretched my arm out, trying to grab her.

She jumped to the side as soon as the preparation of her spell was over. A portal appeared on her previous position. I turned to her and jumped to her but she was faster and jumped right in front of the portal. I expected her to walk through it so I made a large leap and tried to grab her before she would escape through it. I hadn't expected that she would bend down instead of walking through the portal. I couldn't stop myself from jumping over her and flying through the portal.

I came out in a large hall. I saw King Varian, the worgen Genn Greymane, Tyrande Whisperwind and Malfurion standing a few hundred feet away from me. Behind me, in the same distance, stood the Dragon Aspects in their dragon forms. To my left hovered Rhonin over the ground. My eyes widened when I noticed that the almost one thousand souls were floating behind him. They had taken the shapes of angry shades which would love to hurt me and make me suffer for having them imprisoned for thousands of years.

I turned around as soon as I noticed that Jaina Proudmoore appeared through another portal, about three hundred feet to my right.

"What a clever manoeuvre, Lady Proudmoore. I'm afraid that I have to tell you what this won't help you. You won't escape this time" I said and gave her a provocative grin.

"I don't think so" she responded and made an unimpressed face.

"Then, I have to prove you that you are wrong and I am right" I shouted and walked towards her. A quick arrow flew towards me immediately, I caught it with one hand and regarded it curiously.

"It's funny that you still haven't learned that magic and arrows are useless against me" I responded and burst into laughter.

"This is not a normal arrow" shouted Tyrande and looked at me with a small smile on her lips. I looked at the arrow, noticing that it had started to glow as bright as the sun. The arrow caused a massive amount of pain and left a huge burning wound in the palm of my left hand. I dropped the arrow and stared at my hand in surprise, noticing that the wound didn't heal. I looked back at Tyrande who was giving me a triumphing smile.

"You have enchanted the arrow with holy light? How is that possible? You are a not a priest of the light. You worship the moon. It should be impossible for you to use holy light" I shouted and walked towards her.

"I was not the one who created these arrows. But I use them because holy light is very effective against demons" she responded and shot another arrow at me. I activated my barrier but the arrow surpassed it as if it wouldn't exist. It hit me in the left shoulder, a strong wave of pain rushed through my body when the arrow's tip burned my flesh.

"Arrgh" I cried out and made a large leap, landing directly in front of the night elf. I disarmed her and destroyed her bow before she even realized what had happened. I was hit by a fireball in the back, once again it had surpassed the barrier. I turned around and noticed that Rhonin had shot it. It surprised me that he was still able to cast spells although he was nothing but a ghost. At least, Jaina's spell was blocked by this barrier. Varian charged at me but I blocked his and Greymane's attack.

I grabbed the wolf and knocked him onto the ground, kicking him in the abdomen. He spat a large amount of blood out but he managed to get up and jump away from me. I tried to end Varian's life with a swift axe swing but the King of the Alliance managed to block it. At least one of his swords was shattered during the process. Varian looked at the shattered sword in disbelief, which gave me the opportunity to attack him.

Unfortunately, the night elf Malfurion transformed into a bear and rammed me so hard that I was knocked away and landed on the ground. I got up pretty fast and dodged Greymane's claw attack but I was not fast enough to avoid the punch of the first shade. The sharp claw of the ghostly creature left three huge cuts in my upper body. At least the wound was healed but it was too slow for my liking.

More and more shades approached me and injured me. I managed to hit a few dozens of them with a wide-range axe swing, which caused that the dissolved and were absorbed by one of my crystals. I roared out when Rhonin's pyroblast hit me and caused me to stagger backwards. The hit caused that my barrier disappeared completely. I tried to create a very powerful new barrier which should hold out against a lot of spells but this attempt failed. I tried it again but none of my attempts was successful. I couldn't explain what had happened. I couldn't explain how Rhonin's magic could disable my protective barriers. He was just a ghost, which meant that he was able to hurt me but this shouldn't mean that he could turn off my defensive techniques.

The souls in the crystals and the shades around me cheered each time I got hit by something or someone. I managed to dissolve a lot of these shades and absorb them but the condition of my body became worse with each wound I suffered. Without Rhonin or the souls the mortals wouldn't be able to stand against me but with their help, they were able to keep me at a distance so that I was not able to hurt in return.

I had no other choice than retreat and fight the battle somewhere else where no souls would help them. The souls couldn't leave the Eastern Kingdoms so I only had to get back to Northrend and fight the mortals there. The question was: How do I escape?

I regarded the heroes with narrowed eyes. One of the shades tried to hit me but I rammed my axe in its head and absorbed him. I threw my axe at Tyrande, knowing that the mortals would stop attacking me to protect her. A few of the shades sacrifices themselves and slowed the axe down by getting hit by it. The mages and the dragons combined their powers and created powerful barriers around each of my opponents. My axe took out twelve shades before it had lost its speed and fell to the ground. I used that little time window and picked a small item out of a bag on my belt. This item looked like a compass but it was no real one. Its dial had other terms for the directions and the digits looked very weird. I pressed the button on top it and disappeared the next moment.

* * *

_Jaina's POV_

"Dammit, he got away although our plan was perfect. I can't believe that he has managed to escape. I can't believe that our efforts were for nothing" I said with an upset voice and regarded the empty spot on which the Soul Collector had stood a moment ago.

"It's infuriating me but at least we know that he is vulnerable" responded Rhonin and gave me a hopeful look.

"That is right but our remaining shades are not enough to seriously harm him, considering that he can absorb them again" I responded.

"Fortunately, I managed to get this" said Varian and pointed at a black crystal in his hand. The crystal was about four inches long and two inches wide.

I made an impressed face. "How did you...?" I asked curiously.

"I separated it off his body when he had been distracted by the shades. At least we gained something in return for the destruction of one half of Shalamayne" he responded and gave me the crystal. I regarded it closer and handed it to Rhonin. He lifted it in the air and was about to cast as a spell as I stopped him and took the crystal out of his hands.

I responded immediately to his questionable look. "It's better that you release the souls in Kalimdor or in Northrend. You told me that the shades and souls cannot walk through portals or over water so they cannot leave the Eastern Kingdoms. It would be a mistake to release them here too because we couldn't use them against the Soul Collector if we have to fight him on another continent. It would make more sense to release them in Northrend because we have to take the fight to Northrend one day if we want to stop the Lich King and free Arthas".

Rhonin thought about my explanation and gave me an agreeing nod. I stepped next to Varian and regarded the remaining splinters of the left half of Shalamayne. "Maybe a very talented blacksmith can fix it" I said and gave Varian a look which told him that I was sorry about the partial destruction of his legendary weapon.

"Hopefully it works but I doubt it. At least I have the other half left" he responded and collected the splinters. I gave him a small smile and created two portals with Rhonin's help.

"I will go to Warsong Hold and help to defend it. We can't allow that the Horde loses their last remaining base in Northrend. We need their support if we want to handle the Scourge. I would appreciate if you would send reinforcements to this place because the defence had cost the Horde a lot of soldiers over the past months" I announced and looked at the others. Varian and Tyrande told me that they will mobilize every soldier they can get. I gave them a thankful nod and said goodbye to them before I stepped through the first portal.

I came out in the main room of Warsong Hold. I was standing in the middle of a large map of Northrend which was laid out on the floor in the middle of the huge room. I expected that the leader of this base, Garrosh Hellscream would shout that I shouldn't step on the figures which were spread all over the map. But no shout came because Garrosh wasn't in this room, neither was the second leader High Overlord Varok Saurfang. I guessed that they were fighting the Scourge outside. I didn't hesitate and rushed over the bent stairs to the room's exit. I followed the long corridor and went through fortress' gate.

I noticed that the Scourge had managed to get closer to the base since my absence. They had pushed the Horde forces and my reinforcements back to the innermost circle of the gorge. Dozens of orcs were fighting in front of the barricades or on the largest bridge, trying to prevent that the Scourge got close to the main entrance.

The crystal on top of my wand glowed when I cast the summoning of a water elemental. I completed the spell it in a short time, noticing that it was a lot larger than I had expected. It was about ten feet tall, its body was very massive and firm. I noticed within the first few moments that it was slower than an average water elemental but its blows and bashes were a lot stronger than the attacks of average water elementals. My elemental was able to kill a servant of the Scourge if only one precise hit, making it to a dangerous threat for the Scourge.

I sent the water elemental to the bridge where it kept the attackers busy while I shot fireballs, flame strikes and other fire techniques at the members of the Scourge. We managed to kill a lot of creatures over two hours. Still, the army of the Scourge seemed to never end because they got constant reinforcements.

I spotted the Soul Collector on the bottom of the gorge, almost five hundred feet to my left. He was fighting against Hellscream and Saurfang at the same time. I wish I could help them but I knew that my spells would be useless against him. Only attacks with melee weapons could injure the demon, unfortunately, none of the two orcs was able to hit him.

The demon kicked Saurfang away and blocked Hellscream's axe swing with his bare hand. He shattered the axe in millions of pieces. Garrosh roared out loudly, obviously being upset about the destruction of the axe which had once belonged to his father. He was foolish enough to attack the Soul Collector with his bare hands. The Soul Collector avoided all of his attempts and made a counterattack.

He grabbed the orc by his throat and lifted him in the air. Saurfang charged at him but thick shadow chains pulled him back and tied him to a large rock. Saurfang could do nothing but watch that the life was slowly sucked out of his superior.

The old orc roared out loudly and mobilized the last remains of his strength to get free but the chains were too strong for him and held him in place. The demon dropped Hellscream's body to the ground and crushed his head with his foot. He lifted his head a little and looked at me, a vicious smile appeared on his lips. He didn't look vulnerable anymore. Two hours ago, he had looked weak and would have been bested by us if he hadn't managed to get away. But at this moment, he was the powerful, invincible demon again who feared nothing and was feared by everyone.

I pulled the black crystal out of my pocket and dropped it on the ground. I crashed it will my heel and made a few steps backwards. I saw that hundreds of souls rose up out of its splinters and started to take shape. A small portion of them turned to shades while the rest remained as little and spectral spherical souls. The souls and shades didn't charge at the Soul Collector, instead, they remained in the near of the bridge and fought against the Scourge soldiers until most of the souls had transformed to angry shades.

The shade cried out angrily when they rushed the path down behind the other end of the bridge. The path led to the bottom of the gorge and directly to the Soul Collector. The demon's eyes widened when he noticed the about one thousand shades which were coming for him. Large wings came out of his back and he rose in the air, giving me a triumphing grin.

The corner of my lips formed a cheeky grin when a hail of little stones hit him. He looked at the bottom, his eyes widened in surprise when he noticed that the shades were throwing little rocks, stones, other materials and even weapons like spears at him. The missiles surpassed the barrier as if it wouldn't exist and hit the surprised demon. A single stone was nothing for the mighty demon but thousands of stones, which were empowered by the shades, were more than just an annoyance for the strongest servant of the Scourge.

The strength of shades really surprised me. A single of these disembodied spirits was able to take out a member of the Scourge with only one stone, not to mention the shades who were able to tear the Scourge servants in little pieces. I didn't know why these ghostly creatures were that strong, maybe their imprisonment and their release had made them a lot stronger. Maybe the Soul Collector had stored portions of his strength in his crystals, meaning that the shades had absorbed this portion when the crystal had been destroyed.

I was more than just glad that they managed to keep the Soul Collector busy. The stones didn't hurt him at all but they prevented him from attacking, not to mention that he didn't dare to land on the ground because he knew what these shades would do with him if he would be reachable for them.

A brilliant idea came in my mind. What if the attacks of the shades prevented that the demon's barrier built up in general? This could mean that I could injure him with my spells as long as he gets hit by the, through the magic of the shades empowered, stones and other missiles. I lifted my wand and conjured a very large pyroblast. It flew rapidly towards the Soul Collector, a loud painful cry was hearable when it hit him. I couldn't believe that it had really worked.

The Soul Collector still stood on the same spot, a large burning wound covered his upper body. Unfortunately for me, all of his crystals were undamaged. I wish that I could have freed more souls but I was already satisfied that I could injure him as long as the shades attacked him. I created three frostbolts and shot them at him. He blocked all of them but was hit by a very large stone from one of the shades. He roared out loudly and lifted his axe in the air.

"ENOUGH!" he cried out. I noticed that the large crystal on his left shoulder started to glow. Suddenly, a bunch of souls appeared in front of him. Most of these twenty ghostly creatures looked like humanoid creatures. They made a chain and surrounded the demon, energy started to leak out of their spectral bodies. A spherical energy field was built around the demon and his servants. I cast a fireball but it was blocked by that field. Even the stones flung by the shades were blocked by it.

I noticed that one of the Soul Collector's servants, a human huntress who carried a long bow, left the chain and stepped out of the field. She drew her bow, aiming at me and then she shot. The arrow flew faster as I had expected so I wasn't able to dodge it. The spectral arrow hit me and pierced through flesh and bones of my left upper thigh. A loud cry escaped my lips when I staggered backwards but I managed to catch myself so that I didn't fall.

The huntress pulled another arrow out of her spectral quiver. She aimed at me and was about to shot at me when a real arrow, which was enchanted by light magic, hit the huntress and pierced through her head. The huntress turned her head a little, looking at the person who had shot that arrow before she dissolved quickly until nothing was left of her. I pulled the arrow out of my leg, then I looked at the person who had saved me. It was Vereesa who stood on top of a small tower of the fortress.

She was giving me a quick nod, then she shot another arrow and killed a large death knight who would have reached me in the next few seconds. I didn't hesitate to burn the corpse. I gave Vereesa a thankful nod, then I turned my attention back to the battlefield. I noticed that another spectral figure stepped out of the energy field, causing that it shrunk a little.

My eyes widened when I recognized the ghost. This person looked like a ghostly version of Selania but her spectral body was coloured in dark red instead of light blue. She gave me a provocative grin, her hands held her blades tightly.

"I can't believe that you are still pestering me although I have killed you" I shouted and started the cast of a flame geyser. The geyser was created beneath Selania's feet, knocking her in the air. The flames came in contact with her ghostly body but they didn't harm her. The Soul Collector snapped with his fingers, causing that the geyser disappeared and Selania landed on the ground. I gritted my teeth, my narrowed eyes regarded the ghost closely. I noticed out of the corner of my eyes, that Varian had entered the battlefield. Shalamayne in the right hand, and a very firm sword in the other hand. He charged at her, clashing swords with her.

Fortunately for us, the ghost wasn't as strong as Selania had been. We combined our attacks wisely and managed to slay the ghostly Selania after a few minutes of fighting. The demon gave us a grim look but that didn't stop us from preparing our next techniques and attacks. I expected that he would send another ghost out but, to my surprise, he didn't. Instead, he closed his eyes as if he would concentrate on something.

A portal was opened next to him. My eyes widened when I saw who stepped through it. It was Arthas Menethil, MY Arthas who came through the portal followed by Blood Queen Lana'thel and Kel'Thuzad. Behind them appeared a man I didn't know. He wore firm armour with huge gauntlets which were strengthened by very large and very sharp spikes. The upper half of his face was exposed, only his mouth and chin were covered by a scarf.

Arthas didn't wear the remains of the Helm of Domination, not even a replication. His snow-white hair was shorter than I had remembered, it only reached to his earlobes instead to his shoulders. His skin colour hadn't changed at all. It was pale as always. The only change I noticed was that his blue eyes glowed weaker than they had during our last encounter. This could only mean that the Lich King's power had come weaker so that his influence over Arthas had diminished. I was hoping that this change would make it a lot easier for us to free Arthas.

"Once again, I have to take things into my own hands. This time, you won't be victorious, I will promise you that" he shouted, his voice sounded less terrifying and less cold-hearted.

"We will see" I shouted and prepared a spell.

"Yes, we will" Arthas responded amused and lifted Frostmourne in the air. Suddenly, a cold shiver went down my spine. I sensed that something was grabbing the ankle of my left leg. I looked down, noticing that a bony hand held on me and tried to drag me into the wet ground. I shook it off and blew up the head of its owner. I ran away from my current locations when I noticed that dozens of skeletons climbed out of the wet ground.

"Get her" shouted Arthas and walked towards my direction. The skeletons didn't hesitate and pursued me. I regarded their movement while I didn't stop running. Because I didn't look straight in the direction I was moving, I didn't see the person I was running into. I landed on the ground and looked up immediately, wanting to know who this person was. My eyes widened when I noticed the features of this ghostly creature.

"No... this cannot be... This is impossible..." I whispered quietly and stared at the ghost who was giving me a sad look.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who's that gonna be? What do you think?


	18. Salvation

_Jaina's POV_

This was impossible. This was not real. This was so unlikely that another invasion of the Burning Legion would be more likely than this. My eyes must deceive me because what I was seeing was impossible.

Vissia's ghost was standing right in front of me. I thought at first that it was only an illusion. I thought that it must be an illusion because there was no way that the Soul Collector could have absorbed Vissia's soul. I checked her with a very special stone, only to find out that she was not an illusion.

How was this possible? He had not been in her near when she had died and nobody had noticed conspicuous happenings in the near of the temple in which Vissia had been buried. I was asking myself how this was possible then. I came to no conclusion because I had no time to think about it. Vissia's ghost attacked me with a frostbolt. I dodged it without a problem and looked at her. I saw in her eyes that she didn't want to attack me, that she didn't want to hurt me but she had no choice because this monstrous product controlled her.

She sent a ghostly arcane blast at me which hit me and flung me away. Once again, I noticed the sadness in her eyes when she fired the next spell at me. I created a spell shield around me which protected me. I stood up and countered her next spell. I didn't know what I should do. I knew that this was not the Vissia I once knew. It was only a shadow of her former self. Obviously, she was having her memory and was feeling some kind of emotions but she was not the person I once knew.

I thought about releasing her by destroying her ghostly body. Maybe she would want that, maybe she wouldn't. I couldn't know that. I could only hope that I would find a way to help her, maybe I can free her from the Soul Collector's control.

A huge frostbolt flew towards me. I knew I wasn't able to dodge it so I tried to create a barrier but I was too slow. The frostbolt would have hit me if Varian wouldn't have pushed me away. He helped me up, then pulled a little stone out of his pocket and held it in Vissia's direction. The stone started to glow, then dozens of spectral arms came out of it and grabbed the ghostly Vissia. She struggled, tried to get free but the arms were too strong and pulled her towards the stone. She shrunk with each inch she came closer until she was almost unrecognizable and was absorbed by the stone. Varian put the stone back in his pocket and charged at the nearest ghoul, killing it with ease.

I noticed out of the corner of my eyes, that Arthas was coming closer to me. A smirk was visible on his pale lips, his right hand grabbed Frostmourne's hilt tightly as if he was fearing to lose it. A female human paladin approached him. She cried out in anger and attacked him, trying to hit him with her furious and impressively fast strikes. Arthas smiled about her attempts and blocked each of attacks with his powerful runeblade.

He grabbed her by the throat and lifted her in the air, throttling her. She dropped her war hammer, trying to get free from of his grip. He was too strong for her and broke her neck with a single movement of his hand. He regarded the corpse for a moment, then he dropped it to the ground. He showed his disrespect for the living by spitting at her corpse before he came closer to me.

Kel'Thuzad raised the paladin before I was able to burn her corpse. The paladin got up joined the raging battle immediately. Blood Queen Lana'thel regarded me and Varian for a small moment before she started to cast a spell. I tried to counter her spell but Kel'Thuzad countered my attempt so that Lana'thel was able to complete her spell. A massive shadow bolt destroyed one of the catapults on top of a tower, the cries of the dying dwarves, who had operated it, were only quietly hearable.

Kel'Thuzad hit me with a frostbolt and sent me to the ground. Varian appeared in front of me and beheaded a death knight before she was able to reach me. His men arrived next to him and fought against the nearest members of the Scourge which tried to reach me and drag me to their master.

Arthas stood about twenty feet away from Varian who slew a ghoul at this moment. Arthas regarded us with a wide grin on his lips and made a step forward, thrusting his sword through the chest of a male draenei who had dared to attack him alone. He drew the sword out of the creature's chest, absorbing his soul through Frostmourne's tip. He flung the corpse to the ground and continued to walk in our direction. I fired a fireball at Kel'Thuzad at the very moment where he had started to raise the corpse. The barrier, which he had created, protected him from my spell but it didn't protect the corpse which was set on fire and burned quickly. The lich looked at the remaining ashes, then his dangerous eyes rested and reflected his anger.

Arthas didn't seem to be impressed by our attempts to force him away. Kel'Thuzad and Blood Queen Lana'thel protected him with barriers or blocked my spells whenever I aimed for Arthas. I only wanted to freeze him in an ice block, capture him and bring him to the dragons with the hope that they can help him. Unfortunately, all of my attempts were prevented either by Arthas or by his minions. In meantime, he slew more and more soldiers who were defending Warsong Hold. A lot of them were turned into undead creatures, only the corpses of a few of them were burned before they could have been raised.

Arthas was so close at this very moment that I felt the cold which was radiated by his body. His lips still formed a slight grin, his slightly blue glowing eyes regarded me. Varian stepped in front of me and extended his arms, signalizing Arthas that he won't get me without a fight. Arthas' lips formed an even wider smile when he stepped forward and prepared a hit with his sword. Varian reacted quickly and held his swords in front of his chest, blocking Arthas attack.

Arthas didn't stop smiling when he prepared the next attack, this time Varian wasn't able to block the full blow. His second sword shattered, meaning that he had only Shalamayne left. Arthas grabbed his once best friend by the shoulder and pushed him to the ground. One of Varian's men attacked Arthas, buying his king enough time to get up and reposition himself. Arthas slew the man without hesitation and was about to attack Varian again. A thick and tall ice wall, which was created by me, came out of the ground and separated the two warriors. The wall didn't hold long because Lana'thel and Kel'Thuzad melted it with their fiery spells.

Varian attacked Arthas as soon as the wall was gone. He managed to land a few hits but none of them penetrated Arthas' firm armour. Arthas, on the other hand, needed to land only one precise strike to send Varian back to the ground, making him wince in pain. Arthas looked down at his once best friend, Frostmourne's tips pointed at his throat while his other hand absorbed an ice blast which I had shot at him. He looked at me for a short moment, then he looked back at Varian who struggled to get up. Getting up turned out to be impossible for him because the heavy weight of Arthas' boot on his chest pushed him down.

"Any last words?" he asked and looked into Varian's eyes which showed no signs of fear.

I knew that I had to do something. I couldn't let Varian die. I couldn't lose him too. He was one my closest friends and one of the few who still stand by me and supported me. I couldn't allow that he dies.

"I will set myself on fire if you lay a finger on him" I shouted and looked at him, my narrowed eyes told him that this threat was meant seriously.

He started to laugh and shifted his gaze from Varian to me. "As if you would do that. You are too selfish to do it. Come to me, Jaina. We both know that you wouldn't do it anyway. This is just an empty threat" responded Arthas, still not pulling the tip of his sword away from Varian's throat.

"I'm dead serious, Arthas" I replied and created a flame above the palm of my left hand. He was giving me a provocative grin, his eyes told me that he was doubting my determination.

I didn't say anything in return, instead, I increased the strength and height of the flame and held it under my other hand so that the tip of the flame almost touched the back of my hand.

"This is bullshit and you know it" said Arthas with a much louder voice. His reaction told me that my response had provoked him.

"Are you sure Arthas?" I asked with a raised eyebrow and a serious look on my face.

"You would never kill yourself. Neither your former self nor your current self. Stop threatening me, we both know that you have not the guts to do it. Let's make a compromise. You come to me and I spare your friend" responded Arthas and pulled Frostmourne's tip away from Varian's throat, giving him enough room to breathe.

I was silent as I thought about Arthas' suggestion.

_Would he really let him go if I go to him? Would he really spare his life? How can I be sure that he doesn't kill him as once his servants had tie me up? What guarantees that he will let anyone alive?_

I knew that the Lich King would kill Varian as soon as I would be under his influence. I knew that Arthas had changed, that the Lich King's control over him had become weaker. The question was: What will Arthas do if I would surrender? Would be spare Varian? Could I risk Varian's life? Could I risk the life of a dear friend?

I didn't know what to do.

I closed my eyes and opened them as soon as I had ordered my thoughts. I looked at him with an emotionless face and asked: "What assures me that you don't kill him after I have surrendered to you?"

He laughed amused. "Well, you cannot trust me but you have no other choice than coming to me if you want to save his worthless live"

"And you have no other choice than letting him go if you don't want to find out how fast the fire needs to consume my body and leaves nothing but ashes behind" I responded with a strict voice, a provocative smile appeared on my lips when I noticed that he was clenching his teeth. His narrowed eyes regarded me as if he was trying to find out if I meant it seriously or not. He stood still for a moment then he pulled his sword away and walked towards me. He reached me so quickly that I was not able to react as he put his heavy hand on my shoulder and pushed me on my knees. He was generating enough pressure so that I was not able to stand up.

"Tell me, my dear Jaina. Why shouldn't I kill you and raise you as a mindless servant who serves me loyally without questioning my decisions? Tell me why shouldn't I do that? This could be so much easier for me instead of playing your stupid games" he shouted and closed his hand around my throat, pointing Frostmourne's tip on my chest. I noticed that the bluish tone of his glowing eyes had become more intensive, which meant that the Lich King was gaining more control over Arthas.

I remained silent. Receiving no answer made him even more furious than he already was, causing that his grip on my neck became stronger. He bit his bottom lip hard, causing it to burst. Dark red blood flowed out of it and ran over his cheek, dropping on his upper body armour.

"No answer, hm? Should that mean that you accept your fate?" he asked and shook me violently.

"Do it. Slay me and raise me" I requested with a strong voice. I looked at him, not showing any kind of emotion. Not even fear.

"Fine" he hissed and set me back on the ground, lifting Frostmourne and directing its tip to my chest. I didn't close my eyes and stared into his bright blue glowing eyes. I expected that he would thrust Frostmourne through my heart, pull it out and then raise me.

But he didn't.

Instead, he looked at me with a blank expression on his face. I didn't know what was going on in his mind at this very moment. He just stood there and stared at me, not moving at all. At this very moment, I was wondering what was going on in his head.

* * *

_Lich King's POV_

What had happened? I was about to get Jaina back but suddenly I landed there...

"Where am I?" I asked loudly and turned around, checking my surroundings carefully.

I was standing in a small cave, nothing but walls made out of stones surrounded me. The ground was covered by snow, fresh blood and the corpses of humanoid creatures. Panic overcame me when I noticed that Frostmourne was not in my right hand. I looked around but didn't see it anywhere else. I didn't hang on my belt, it didn't hang on my back and it wasn't in my other hand.

_Where is it? This cannot be possible! Why did it disappear? This is so weird... Am I trapped in some sort of an illusion?_

I didn't know what was going on at this moment.

My eyes got used to the darkness after a few minutes. I noticed a weak glowing light on the other side of this cave. I followed the light until I came to a pedestal over which a familiar sword was hovering. My muscles relaxed when I noticed Frostmourne's familiar shape.

At this very moment, I was asking myself why it was there. Why did it hover over the pedestal where I had found it more than ten years ago? It wasn't even trapped in ice, it was free of any prison and just floated there, waiting to be touched and taken.

My skin started to tingle when I made a step forward. The tingling became more intense with each step I made towards it. I felt Frostmourne's aura which was reaching out for me, trying to lure me to take it. It didn't need to do that because I would have taken it anyways. I stopped in front of the pedestal and regarded the mighty runeblade for a short moment. I extended my arm with the intention to grab it but it disappeared before I was able to take it.

"What..." I spoke but no other words came out of my mouth. I turned around, noticing the presence of another person. It was a warrior in golden armour who was as tall as me. He had long blonde hair which reached to his shoulders. His face was covered by a golden mask, only his blue eyes were visible for me. He was carrying a massive war hammer which shone goldenly. A similar aura was wrapped around the man's body. He was definitely a paladin and the light had empowered him.

"Who are you?" I asked with an aggressively sounding voice.

He tilted his head and looked at me. His blue eyes rested on me for a few moments before they shifted to the pedestal.

"Answer me" I shouted aggressively. The man didn't seem to be impressed by my outburst. He just looked at me without saying anything. I walked to him and lifted my left hand. I aimed a shift punch for his head but that didn't seem to bother him. I tried to take his mask off but it stuck to his face as if it was glued to it. I rammed my elbow in his stomach but nothing happened. He looked down at my arm then at me and gave me a heavy head butt. I stumbled backwards and landed on the ground. It took a lot of effort for me to stand up.

I looked at him once again. I noticed that he was still regarding me as if I was a display model in a museum.

"You will find out soon enough who I am" he said. I could be mistaken but I was pretty sure that I knew this voice. I knew that I have heard this voice a long time ago, I just couldn't figure out whose voice it was.

"What do you mean with that?" I hissed.

"You will find it out" he responded and disappeared. I noticed that the surroundings had changed.

"Do you remember this place?" the man asked.

I looked around and regarded the new surroundings closely.

"Where are in the throne room of Lordaeron. But...Why are we here?"

"You should know the reason why we are here" the man responded and came closer to me.

"All had begun with Frostmourne but what happened in this place was the real beginning of the end" he explained and studied the room for a few moments. I stared at him, wondering what he was going to say next.

"My father died in this room. You have killed him" he told and stopped in front of the stairs. He bent down and ran a gauntleted hand over the floor. As I came closer, I noticed the dried blood on the spot.

"What are you talking about?" I asked irritated.

He didn't respond immediately. He stood up and looked at me. His left hand, which was not holding the hammer, touched his mask and took it off. My eyes widened when I recognized his face.

"Arthas Menethil..." I said with a voice which was so low that it was nothing but a whisper. "I don't understand this... You are a part of me. You should not be here... You are dead. You died when you became a part of me... This doesn't make sense at all"

"This is not real. This only happens in our head... in MY head, to be exactly" he said while looking at me as if I was something which shouldn't exist.

"This is impossible...I don't understand this...What are you trying to tell me with all this nonsense you are talking about?"

"I'm telling you that is my turn now. You won't have control over this body anymore. I have been your vessel for years but your terrible reign is over now. You won't longer use my body for your cruel and monstrous plans" he said and appeared right in front of me. He grabbed me by the throat and lifted me in the air as if I would be as light as a feather.

"NO! THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE. I'M THE LICH KING. I'M THE MOST POWERFUL BEING ON AZEROTH. IT'S IMPOSSIBLE THAT SUCH A WEAK PALADIN CAN BEST ME!" I shouted and tried to get free but his grip was too strong. My eyes widened when I noticed that I was getting weaker and weaker. The only logical explanation was that he was sucking the power out of my body.

My vision began to blur out until I saw nothing and could only hear his strong and self-confident voice which said. "The days of the Lich King are over. I'm in control now and I will find a way to make up all the horrible things you have done in my name"

"No... If you take over, you will forget everything that had happened after you have taken Frostmourne. The mortals will take advantage that you don't know what had happened. The new situation will be too much for you, you wouldn't know what to do. You will be too confused because of this new situation that you won't do anything except figuring out what will be going on. They will attack you, no matter if you defend yourself or not. The living will kill you because they will think that you are the Lich King. We both will die if you take over" I tried to shout out but only a weakly voice was hearable.

"I will take the risk " were the last words I heard before my body started to dissolve quickly.

* * *

_Jaina's POV_

My focus remained on Arthas who was still regarding me without doing anything at all. I saw that Kel'Thuzad and Lana'thel were looking at him with surprised expressions while they did their best to keep every defender away from him. I was pretty sure that they were asking themselves what was going on in Arthas' mind. I was asking myself the same question. I placed my hand on his cheek and caressed it softly, hoping to receive a reaction from him.

My touch seemed to have triggered something in him because he blinked and tilted his head a little after I had pulled my hand away.

"I cannot..." he whispered quietly and made a little step backwards. "I cannot kill you" he added, looking at Frostmourne and then at me. I noticed that the blue glow disappeared from his eyes. His natural blue eyes, which showed no signs of the Lich King's control anymore, looked at me and regarded me closely as if he didn't know who I was. He looked at me as if he had never seen me before.

Lana'thel approached him and asked him if everything was alright. He looked at her exactly the same way he had looked at me, meaning that he didn't recognize her either. I was wondering what was going on. Could this mean...? Could this mean that the Lich King was not in control anymore? It seemed that something had caused a change in Arthas, I just need to figure out what had changed and what this would mean.

"Arthas?" I asked with a slight amount of hope in my voice. If I would have been alive, my heart would have beaten rapidly and my skin would have tingled nervously. Instead, my body was very stiff and felt unpleasant.

Arthas looked at me, his eyebrows were raised and I didn't miss the frown on his forehead. He was regarding his reflection in the edge of Frostmourne's blade. He seemed to be very shocked about his appearance. He shifted his attention back to me, scrutinizing me.

"Arthas... You don't need to be afraid. It's me, Jaina" I said quietly and came slowly closer to him, extending my hand carefully. He didn't recoil. He stayed on the same spot and regarded me as if I was a rare creature he had never seen before. I noticed out of the corner of my eyes, that Varian was standing a few feet away from us and was observing the happening with a confused look on his face.

Arthas remained silent, so I asked him a question. "Do you hear me Arthas?". He nodded his head and parted his lips, wanting to say something but no sound came out of his mouth. He gave me an irritated lock, then he regarded his hands. I stepped on my tiptoes to put his face in my hands, caressing his cheeks softly. His blue eyes stared deep into mine as if they wanted to speak for him.

"Arthas... Say something, please" I whispered quietly. I was hoping that the person in front of me was real Arthas and not the Lich King. It was looking good but I still wasn't able to tell if this person really was Arthas or if he was just pretending. This still could be a trick of the Lich King, but I wasn't believing this. At least, he behaved differently which was a good sign.

"I...I don't know what is going on... Where are we? Why am I looking like this and why am I wearing this weird armour?" he asked with a voice which was quiet enough that only I was able to hear it.

"Oh, Arthas. I wish I could give you an explanation but I'm afraid that we won't have the time for that" I responded quietly and rubbed his cheeks while I stared in his sky-blue eyes.

"Why?" he asked irritated. I didn't respond, instead, I tilted my head a little and looked past him, signalizing him that this was not the right place to talk. He looked around, his eyes widened when he recognized that we were in the middle of a battlefield, surrounded by undead creatures and members of the Horde and Alliance.

Soldiers from both sides who were in our near had stopped fighting and regarded us with mixed expressions. A few of them were surprised about his change of behaviour while the rest gave us emotionless looks. My eyes widened, the expression of worry appeared on my face when I noticed that a huge orc with a massive axe charged at Arthas. The axe was lifted above his head, ready to strike Arthas down. I couldn't allow that. It seemed that Arthas was finally himself so I would do anything to protect him. I reacted quickly and trapped the orc in a pillar of ice, making him unable to move.

The look Varian was giving me told me that he was not sure what to do. He seemed to struggle with himself. He seemed to have a problem dealing with what was happening at this very moment.

His soldiers, on the other hand, were determined to end Arthas' life. They attacked him although Arthas wasn't defending himself. They hit him but their weapons splintered when they came in contact with his armour. Arthas stepped backwards, his eyes were widened and he didn't seem to understand why Varian's men were attacking him.

A group of orcs attacked him, this time he defended himself and slew the orcs one after one. I recognized that more and more soldiers of the Alliance had noticed that Arthas wasn't defending himself against them so they rushed towards him. I knew that I had to do something or these soldiers will kill Arthas in the end. A fireball hit him in the back, causing him to fall to the ground. Fortunately, his armour had absorbed the damage but the attack had left marks in his armour. Several deep cracks were clearly visible in his armour.

I moved to Arthas and created a powerful barrier around us. Varian was giving me a look which was not that hard to interpret. He didn't seem to believe that something had changed in Arthas. He seemed to believe that this was some kind of a trick to lure me into the arms of the Lich King.

"What are you doing, Jaina?" he asked loudly and came closer to the barrier.

"Saving Arthas of course" I responded and gave him an irritated look.

"What? You are a fool if you believe that this is Arthas. This just one of the Lich King's dirty tricks to get you. He wants you to believe that he is Arthas. But this is not Arthas. This is the Lich King and he wants to control you, Jaina. Don't be so foolish and fall for this trick"

"This is not a trick Varian, you have to believe me. He could have killed me and raised me but he didn't. Haven't you seen his eyes? The glowing had completely faded out. He doesn't even fight against the soldiers of the Alliance. He's only defending himself against the orcs. I'm pretty sure that the Lich King's control over him has been broken" I shouted back and gave Varian a convincing look. He gave me a sceptical look in return. It was hard to miss the doubt in his eyes when he regarded Arthas once again.

"I'm sorry Jaina but I can't believe this. Step away from him. We won't kill him but we will capture him at least, then we will decide what will happen to him"

I looked at Arthas who was looking as if he still didn't know what was going on. He was confused that Varian was behaving like this. He seemed to regard him as a friend and was shocked that Varian was showing nothing but anger and hatred for him. I looked back at Varian who was standing right in front of the barrier, both of his hands held Shalamayne.

I was not sure what to do. Somehow, I didn't believe Varian that he would just capture him. Somehow, I believed that he would kill him. I didn't want to hand out Arthas nor did I want to disobey Varian. I closed my eyes for a few moments and ordered my thoughts.

The tip of my wand started to glow when I summoned a portal right behind me and Arthas. Varian's eyes widened when he noticed what I was about to do. I noticed that mages of the Alliance were about to dissolve the barrier. I had no time to convince Arthas to follow me through the portal so I created a small shockwave which pushed Arthas through the portal. I looked at Varian, my eyes asked for forgiveness, then I stepped through the portal and closed it behind me.

* * *

_ARTHAS' POV_

I didn't know what was happening until I landed on a wooden floor. I didn't hesitate and stood up, checking my surroundings carefully. I found out that I was standing in a small abandoned hut which was barely furnished. I looked at the portal behind a damaged table, wondering where I was and why this woman, who claimed that she was Jaina, had brought me to this place. I didn't know what was going on. I didn't know where I had been before she had pushed me through that portal. The area had been covered by snow which could mean that this place was in Northrend.

I made a step backwards, nearly falling over a small chair as someone came through the portal. It was the undead woman who had told me that she was Jaina. Unlike the Jaina I knew, she had white hair with a purple strand of hair instead of the golden blonde hair. Her eyes had a similar colour to her light-blue skin. She was wearing a blue dress which reached from her hips to her feet, her upper body was covered by a half corset made out of a very firm looking material, iron probably. She was carrying a weird wand in her right hand. The wand was made out of bones and its tip was decorated with a very large blue crystal.

I had to admit that she looked very beautiful in her own way. Her beauty was taking my breath away. Wait... My eyes widened when I realized that I hadn't even breathed before she had come through the portal. I dropped the weird sword, I was carrying in my right hand, and removed one of my gauntlets. I pressed two fingers against my neck, trying to find my pulse. Except that my skin was cold, I noticed nothing. No pulse.

I closed my eyes, trying to feel my heartbeat. I opened my eyes when I recognized that my heart wasn't beating. What was going on? Was this some sort of a weird dream? A nightmare? An illusion? I didn't know what was going on and I was more than just slightly confused.

I regarded my hand, my eyes widened when I noticed my pale skin colour. I held my hand in front of my eyes as if I was hoping that the colour would change when I look at it from another angle. The truth was that it didn't change. It had the same colour even when I held it in the ray of light which came through a small window in one of the hut's walls.

I noticed that this woman came slowly closer to me and stopped right in front of me. Her presence should worry me but instead, I felt relaxed. I couldn't explain why I was feeling safe when she was around. I couldn't explain either why my skin tingled when her beautiful eyes rested on me. She placed her hand on my left cheek, my body flinched for a moment before it relaxed. I wanted to make a step away from her but my body didn't obey my commands. It had its own mind and stayed on the spot even when I tried to step away with all of my willpower.

Her eyes stared into mine and I could do nothing except staring back. A small smile appeared on her lips which were covered by purple lip stick.

"Tell me, who you are" I demanded.

"As I had said, I'm Jaina Proudmoore" she responded, the smile faded out of her face and a serious expression appeared on it.

"Jaina? No, this is impossible. You hardly look like the Jaina I remember. You look like... I don't know what to say... I don't want to insult you..." I responded and scrutinized her body.

"Well, twelve years had passed since the last time you have seen me. A lot had happened in these twelve years" she responded with a hoarse voice and stroked my cheeks once again. Her touch was very cold but, to my surprise, it didn't bother me at all.

"I want a prove from you that you are the real Jaina and not someone who pretends to be you. I don't want to get manipulated by a stranger" I said demandingly, my eyes were narrowed and stared at her.

"What do you want to hear?" she asked.

"Tell me something only the real Jaina knows" I demanded.

"Well, we had sex for the first time sixteen years ago in your room in Lordaeron. Your sister had caught me sneaking out of your room at midnight. She had teased you for almost an entire year until you had made a deal with her. The deal was that she stops teasing you if you promise that you won't tell your parents that she is secretly dating Highlord Bolvar Fordragon" she responded with a smile on her lips. Her eyes stared into mine and examined my reaction.

I didn't need to look in a mirror to know that I was making a surprised face at this very moment. This was the proof that she really was Jaina. Nobody except my sister, Jaina and I knew this secret. She didn't look close to my sister so the only explanation was that this woman was indeed Jaina Proudmoore. Not the Jaina I had known, not my Jaina but a different version of Jaina. I was asking myself what had happened to her. She looked so different, she looked like an undead creature. Not like the ugly ones I had encountered in Northrend or in Lordaeron but she definitely looked like an undead version of the Jaina I had once known. A very pretty undead version to be honest

I noticed that my skin tickled nervously as I continued to stare at her. My gaze shifted downwards and rested on her huge breasts. Had they become larger?

_By the light, Arthas... what is wrong with you? This is not the right moment to ogle your ex-lover._

It was hard to shift my gaze away from her breasts and back to her slightly embarrassed face. I could swear that she was blushing while she toyed with the purple strand of hair. She was looking even more beautiful when she was doing this gesture. I couldn't tear my gaze off her. My lips were dry and parted, my eyes rested on her beautiful features and my thoughts drifted off.

I was brought out of my thoughts when I felt two arms around my neck. My eyes gazed down, noticing Jaina who was resting her head on my shoulder and pressing her body against mine. I didn't know why she was doing this but it felt really good when she hugged me. We stayed like this for a few moments, then she pulled back and made a few steps backwards, regarding me with curiosity.

"Arthas?" she asked and looked at me, an eyebrow was raised as if she was waiting for an answer.

I hesitated for a moment but then a whisper escaped my lips. The only word I spoke was her name. Her eyes widened and I could swear that tears were forming in her eyes. Her expression told me that these were no sad tears. On the opposite, these tears were tears of happiness.

"Oh, Arthas. I'm so happy to you are finally free from the Lich King's control" she shouted out happily and wrapped her arms closer around my neck, pulling herself up a little so that she was able to kiss my left cheek. In the past, my heart had beaten rapidly all the time when she had been close to me, especially when she had hugged me or kissed me. My heart didn't beat anymore but my skin was tingling in excitement.

"Who is the Lich King?" I asked quietly and placed my not-gauntleted hand on her back, rubbing it softly.

"Oh, Arthas... I wish I could simply tell you who he is but it would take more time to explain that. I'd also have to explain what had happened during the past years"

"Well, I have got the time" I responded and wrapped both of my arms around her waist. I had to admit that it was not easy to get used to her new appearance but I was pretty sure that I will fully accept it one day.

"Alright, take a seat and then we will talk. I..." she started but was interrupted by the loud sound the hut's door made when it was kicked out of its hinges and landed in the middle of the room.

"Arthas, come out you cowardly bastard. We have a score to settle" an angry, clearly feminine voice shouted aggressively.


	19. Events of the past

_Jaina's POV_

An arrow flew through the air, coming dangerously close to Arthas' face. Fortunately, I managed to put a barrier around him which protected. Another arrow swished through the air, this time it penetrated the barrier and pierced through Arthas' damaged armour, hitting him in the left shoulder.

I noticed that it was Sylvanas' arrow. Of course, it was hers because that crazy bitch would never stop her hunt until Arthas was dead. I was about to cast a spell when a small vial was thrown in the room. I reacted quickly and moved us out through instant teleportation before the vial exploded.

Unfortunately, the preparation time had been too short to bring us far away from the hut. So, we landed on the with grass covered wet ground, not far away from the hut. The wood, out of which the hut was made, caught fire a few moments later.

Sylvanas and her lover were standing about ten feet away from the hut. They turned around as soon as they noticed us and shot a volley of arrows at us. Next to them stood seven dark rangers, three mages and six forsaken warriors which were carrying large axes. The dark rangers drew their bows while the warriors rushed in our direction. I created a small barrier around us at the last moment, preventing that those arrows and magical missiles hit us.

"Stop protecting this bastard with your magic tricks, Proudmoore. Look what he has done to you, to me and to my lover. He is responsible for the death of millions. He doesn't deserve your help. He only deserves to die" she shouted and nocked an arrow.

"You are not the one who decides who is allowed to live and who must die" I shouted back and looked at Arthas, wanting to see his reaction. His eyes were widened, he was biting his bottom lip and his expression told me that he was confused by Sylvanas' words.

"Don't listen to her. She just wants to confuse you and use that to get an advantage. I will explain everything later but for now, we have to make sure that we survive" I said quietly and looked back at Sylvanas who was waiting that my barrier would dissolve.

"The sword is still lying inside the hut" Arthas whispered quietly and made a step backwards.

"You don't need it. It's better that you stay away from it" I responded.

"Why? he asked, his face showed confusion.

"I will explain it later too" I said and looked in his eyes, signalizing him that he should trust me. He nodded and stepped in front of me. Witnessing that he wanted to protect me although he was unarmed, caused a smile on my lips. Arthas lifted his left hand in the air and asked for the support of the light. His eyes widened when no answer came. He had tried to strengthen the barrier but nothing had happened.

"I need my hammer. I need Light's Vengeance" he spoke and made a step backwards.

"I'm afraid but I don't think that this weapon still exists"

"No... This is not possible...Which weapons should I use to fight them then? he asked confused, his pleading eyes rested on me.

"We won't fight them. I'm not sure if I can handle Sylvanas and her lover alone, not to mention the other undead creatures"

"So, we will run away like cowards?" he asked irritated.

"Yes, Arthas. Sometimes it's better to run instead of fighting a hopeless battle" I responded and strengthened the barrier with one of my most powerful spells. The barrier expanded so that it covered a large area around us. I knew that it wouldn't last forever but at least it will protect us from their arrows and prevent that they would follow us.

I didn't know for sure how Sylvanas had found us. I just had the assumption that she had marked me with magic so that she could locate me with ease. This meant that hiding from her was useless. Our only possibility to escape was to get enough distance to them so that I could create a portal to another place eventually. Fighting them wouldn't turn out very well for us and I hadn't planned on using my last trump card for someone like the Banshee Queen. I knew that I could only use it one time and I didn't want to waste it on her. I had determined to use this special technique only in an emergency.

I looked at Arthas, then I took his hand and dragged him towards the nearest forest which began a few hundred feet behind us. Arthas didn't hesitate and followed me without questioning me any further. I ignored the loud shouts and insults from the forsaken. I looked back a few times, while I was still running, to check if the barrier was still intact. To my relief, it held longer than I had expected. It held out until we reached the edge of the forest.

I noticed that Arthas had stopped in front of the forest and looked back at the Banshee Queen. I noticed the frown on his forehead but didn't comment it. Instead, I took his right hand, entwined our fingers and dragged him into the forest. He resisted a little at first but then he followed me after I had given him a worried look.

We ran as fast as we could, splashing noises sounded every time our feet came in contact with the wet and muddy ground. I knew that we were leaving tracks behind but we had not the time to stop and cast a spell which would allow us to hover over the ground. I knew that it would take too long and give the forsaken the chance to catch up to us. I decided to keep moving, although I knew that Sylvanas would recognize our tracks with ease. She had been the Ranger-General of Silvermoon in life before Arthas had killed her. It would be one of her easiest tasks to track us.

We came to a river which was long enough that we could not walk around it and wide enough so that we couldn't jump over it. I knew I had to use magic to get over it. I didn't hesitate and froze a part of the river so that we were able to pass it. I turned around when we had crossed the river, noticing the shades of a few persons in the far.

"Dammit" I cursed quietly and melted the ice bridge. I manipulated the water, causing it to flow a lot faster. I was hoping that this would cause that the forsaken mage would need more time to control it which should mean that they would need more time to cross the river. Every single second was valuable for us. Every passing second could make up the difference between living and dying. This was the first time of my life that I was glad to be dead, because I had more stamina and didn't get exhausted too quickly, meaning that Arthas and I could keep running for a while.

We left the forest after we had run for quite some time. I was not sure if hours or days had passed since had started running away. We stopped for a small moment to check our surroundings before we would run again. I recognized that we were standing in front of a small village. I regarded the buildings closely, noticing that their shapes reminded me of the architectural style of the night elves. I spotted not a single guard in the village's near.

I knew that walking in the village was pure suicide so I took Arthas' hand and dragged him to the east where we spotted the outlines of another forest. We almost arrived at the edge of a forest as an arrow flew through the air and landed directly behind us. I turned my head a little, noticing Sylvanas out of the corner of my eyes.

She was two hundred feet away from us but was still in range to hit us. I was pushed to the side by Arthas who had noticed the second arrow a few moments earlier than me. The arrow would have hit me if Arthas wouldn't have reacted that quickly. The arrow stuck in the ground. I regarded the feathers at the end of the arrow, finding out that it was Velonara's arrow. I created a transparent barrier which was a lot weaker than my average barriers but still strong enough to prevent that we got hit by the next few arrows. The barrier was very effective and only dissolved after it had blocked six arrows in total.

I spoke a few phrases in an old and almost forgotten langue while I continued to run with Arthas towards the forest. My spell worked pretty well, a very large and very angry water elemental appeared behind me. I didn't need to give it orders because it already knew what to do. It pressed the palms of his hands together and summoned a very large water wave which flowed towards the forsaken and washed half of our pursuers away. Unfortunately, neither Sylvanas or Velonara were among the victims. Together with the mage, they managed to kill my elemental quickly. It made a bubbling sound when it dissolved and turned into liquid water. At least it had bought us a few important seconds.

I created a tall ice-wall while running, which blocked. We arrived at the beginning of the forest without having been hit by arrows or any spell.

This hunt continued for about five days where we had been forced to run constantly without being able to make a pause. Over the past days, I had managed to take out all of Sylvanas' servants except for the mage. Sylvanas and Velonara had managed to hit Arthas with a few arrows. Fortunately, his massive armour had taken the most damage, meaning that none of these arrows had seriously injured him. Somehow, I had managed to create three water elementals at the same time while I still had been running. It had been a real miracle that all three of them were very powerful and persistent.

The water elementals had become a very large threat for the three forsaken. I didn't know how long it had taken them to defeat the elementals. But it seemed that the elementals had bought us a very large and very important time window because I couldn't see the Banshee Queen and her companions on the horizon. Arthas and I were running over never-ending grassland. Our pursuers would be visible for us if they would be on our tail, meaning that we had a little head start. I was pretty sure that we would have enough time to hide somewhere as soon as we leave this stupid grassland. I was pretty sure that we will find a way to get out of this unknown area.

We ran through another little forest until we came to a small cave. I looked around, making sure that no one was in our near. I created a small flame which hovered above the palm of my left hand, taking Arthas' hand and squeezed it tightly. I made the first step in the dark cave, hoping that no creature would live there. I would have exhaled in relief if I would be alive when I noticed that this cave was empty. I blocked the cave's entrance with a very thick ice-wall and started the creation of a portal. Arthas regarded me with a tensed facial expression while I used the last remains of my power to stabilize the portal. He relaxed when the portal was completely open. I gave him a small smile and took his hands, staring into his blue eyes for a few moments before I dragged him through the portal.

* * *

_Arthas' POV_

I checked my surroundings as soon as I came out of the portal, noticing that I was standing in a beautifully furnished room. I needed a few moments to realize that this was Jaina's room in Boralus. Of course, I was wondering why she had chosen this place but I didn't dare to ask her what was the main reason for this decision. My gaze rested on her made bed for a moment before it shifted back to her.

She stood in front of her door and cast a quick spell, then she turned around and regarded me. Her beautiful eyes observed me, the corner of her lips formed a small smile.

"What was that?" I asked curiously.

"These women had marked me with a spell which had allowed them to find us. I have removed the mark so that we can be in peace for a while at least"

"Who were these women and why was this elf with the red cape so mad at me?"

"Do you really want to know what had happened?" she asked and gave me a worried look.

"Yes, I want to know everything. You already told me that more than ten years had passed since Stratholme. I want to know everything that I have done. I also what happened to us" I responded and walked to the nearest mirror. My eyes widened when I saw my reflection. I was not able to recognize myself anymore. This thing in the mirror didn't look like me. It looked more like a nightmare, an abomination or even a monster.

My skin was very pale, my hair was as white as the bones of a skeleton and I was wearing grey armour. The armour was very heavy but it was also very stable and had protected me very well while we had been running away. I regarded myself for a few moments, then I turned back to Jaina who was nervously playing with strands of her hair.

"I have promised you to tell you everything so I will keep it and tell you everything. But it wouldn't be wise to start to tell you who she is. I will start with the very beginning and mention her later"

"Alright. By the way, why are we here?" I asked.

"It's the only safe place which had come to my mind. I have put a spell on this chamber so that no one will hear us. I don't know if there is another place where we are safe. Nobody expects me to come back to Boralus, not after my mother had expressed her dislike for me" she explained and sat down on the edge of her bed.

"I'm sorry to hear that" I responded, showing her my sympathy.

"You don't need to. She is upset with me because of my actions of the past. As I have already told you, a lot of happened in the past years. I would like to tell you everything but it's quite a lot and I don't know where to start" she said and patted the spot next to her, signalizing me to take a seat.

I didn't hesitate and walked to her bed, sitting down on the exact spot she had pointed at. I turned my head a little and gave her a small smile. She tucked s strand of hair behind her left ear and smiled back, making me feel differently. I felt secure when she was in my near and was smiling at me like this. Her beautiful smile had always given me the feeling that I was the happiest person in the world. And it was still giving me this feeling.

I regarded her beautiful face, her purple lips almost invited me to press a kiss onto them but I resisted because I didn't want to rush things. For me it was only important that Jaina and I were safe and together, so I didn't need to rush anything.

"Tell me what the last thing you remember is" she said, curious and worried at the same time.

I frowned as I thought about her demand. Why did she want to know that? Was it relevant?

I closed my eyes and focused on the memories in my head. I noticed that I didn't remember a lot. My head felt empty as if someone had stolen my memories. I could only remember the horrible events in Stratholme. My men and I had slaughtered thousands of innocent people to prevent that they would turn into undead creatures and would attack other citizens which hadn't been affected by the plague. I knew that it had been morally wrong but I had no other choice back then. I had tried my best to defend my kingdom. I didn't even know if I had succeeded or not.

"What I did in Stratholme is the last memory I have" I answered and looked in her face which was giving me a neutral expression. She tilted her head a little, her facial expression changed from neutral to anxious.

I raised an eyebrow. "What is wrong?" I asked irritated. I lifted my hand a little and held it in front of her face, not daring to touch her cheek.

"Well... It's nothing, really. I just remembered that this was the event that led to everything going down"

"You left me in front of the gates of Stratholme although you promised that you would never leave me" I responded quietly and looked at the back of my hand, not wanting to look in her eyes.

"I know and I'm regretting it bitterly. I know that I shouldn't have left you but I couldn't approve your plan to purge Stratholme. I'm so sorry, Arthas"

"You don't need to be sorry. It was the tactically right decision to save the rest of Lordaeron's population but it had was also the morally wrong decision. I shouldn't have slaughtered them. I should have looked for another possibility to save the citizens" I responded quietly, still regarding my hands.

I felt her hand on my cheek. She stroked my left cheek softly, then she put her other hand on my other cheek and turned my head, forcing me to look at her.

"I'm afraid to say that but this was one of the harmless things which had happened during the past years" she responded and continued to speak when she noticed the confused look, I was giving her. "Are you sure that you want to hear what had happened over the past years? I'm worried that the truth could hurt you..."

"Please, tell me what had happened. I don't want to hear it from someone else who could shock me with their words and use that as an advantage. I want to know why I'm feeling so different and remember only so little"

"Okay...There should I start...Hm... You remember Mal'Ganis, right?

"Of course, I do. This bastard is responsible for the deaths of thousands of my people. I will make sure that he pays for what he has done to the population of Lordaeron" I responded with a much louder voice than I had wanted to use. I gritted my teeth and stared at a random spot, my eyes were narrowed and my fists were clenched.

"He was defeated more than ten years ago" she responded and tried to calm me down by caressing my cheeks and staring into my eyes.

"Really? Who killed him?" I asked surprised.

She remained silent and stared at her fingernails a few moments. "It was you" she said after almost an entire minute.

"Wait...What? Are you serious? I would remember if I would have killed that bastard" I spoke irritated. Wrinkles appeared on my forehead when I tried to remember that. I recognized that I didn't remember killing him.

"Well... How should I say that...? It was not really you who killed him" she whispered and toyed with strands of her hair nervously.

"How do you mean that?" I asked, showing her that her sentence had confused me even more.

"You went to Northrend and found a very special and powerful sword there. The sword had given you enough power to kill Mal'Ganis but it had caused that you had started to change slowly"

"It changed me? In a positive or a negative way?"

"I'm sorry to say that but the truth is that it had flipped your entire personality for one hundred and eighty degrees. This blade had influenced you and had tricked you. It had convinced you to do unspeakable things in the name of the Lich King"

"Who is this Lich King?" I asked curiously. I imaged a very mighty warrior who was feared by others. I didn't know anything about this Lich King but I had the feeling that this person was so powerful that nobody would be able to stop him. I was curious, wanting to know more about this person.

"The Lich King was originally an orc shaman with the name Ner'zhul who had been forced to serve the Burning Legion. He had been chosen to weaken and reduce the population of Azeroth so that the demons could invade this world again. Ner'zhul became the first Lich King and created an army of undead creatures. These creatures were forced to serve him loyally and do whatever he demanded. The undead creatures which had terrorized Lordaeron belonged to his servants"

"So, not only Mal'Ganis is responsible for the deaths of the numerous citizens. Is this orc the evil mastermind behind all of this?" I asked, noticing that anger was boiling up in me.

" _Was_ is the perfect word in this context" she responded, obviously meaning Ner'zhul.

"Do you want to hint that someone else took his place?" I asked with a much calmer voice this time.

"Yes... A very famous person took his place... Nobody would have believed that he would join the dark side and take Ner'zhul's place". She barely looked at me when she answered my question with a voice which was so low that it would count as a whisper.

I narrowed my eyes when I noticed how she was behaving. She was afraid to look at me and I was asking myself what the reason for this change of behaviour was. Had I done something wrong? Did something really bad happen in the past? Why was she so nervous?

"Who is this person?" I asked curiously and placed my hand her left hand, stroking its back with my thumb.

She hesitated and remained silent for a few minutes. She closed her eyes and opened them again after another small pause, looking at me sadly. "It was you. You took his place" she replied with a barely hearable voice. She intertwined our fingers and stared at them, stroking the backs of my hands softly. She looked back at me after a while, her eyes were asking for forgiveness.

_What? Is she serious? She can't be. This has to be some kind of a bad joke. How could she say that I have taken the place of a mass murderer who had turned thousands of people into undead creatures? No this was not possible. I would never join the undead and fight for them. I wouldn't be able to recognize myself if this would be true. She has to be lying... But why should she lie to me? She wouldn't have saved me from this crazy undead woman if she would not care about me. The Jaina I had once known never would have lie to me. Maybe this new version of Jaina was different. I don't believe that she would lie to me. There has to be another explanation for this._

Even though I was not able to see my face, I was sure that it showed confusion. Jaina was biting her bottom lip and seemed to be lost in thoughts. Maybe she was figuring what she should say next. Maybe she was looking for the right words because she didn't want to hurt me. Maybe she was thinking about something else. I couldn't know that because I couldn't read her mind.

I broke the silence which had lasted for a while by saying "I don't understand this. Why would I join the organization who had killed numerous innocent people of Lordaeron? Why would I take the place of a mass murderer? This doesn't make sense to me"

"I don't know, Arthas. I can only tell you what I suspect. I think that the sword Frostmourne, which you had dropped in that hut, had corrupted your mind and forced you to do things you didn't want to do. You had picked it up to kill Mal'Ganis. You managed that but this sword had its own plans for you. It influenced you and lured you to the dark side. In the end, you became the Lich King, the leader of the Scourge. The runeblade forced you to commit a lot of crimes against your own people and other races. The sword had corrupted you so much that you were no longer able to distinguish good from evil. In the end, you led the undead against the living". she responded with a weak voice.

Tears ran down her cheeks while she explained what had happened to me. I wanted to wipe her tears away but, somehow, I felt powerless and unable to do anything. I could only think about what she had said while I stared at her, not being able to say something in return.

She looked at her lap and played with the hem of her dress, not wanting to look at me. We remained silent. I stared at her, my eyes were widened in shock and reflected disbelief. Jaina, on the other hand, was avoiding my gaze. My head felt empty and I was not able to think clearly or to order my thought. I just sat there and regarded her, hoping that she would say something.

My next question broke the silence which had lasted for almost half an hour. "Does this mean that I'm responsible for the deaths of a lot of people? By the light, what would my father say to this, or my sister or Uther... Oh, no... They would be disappointed in me and think that I'm some kind of a monster.

"Arthas..." she whispered quietly, "You need to know something. I wish I don't have to say it but I cannot hide the truth from you because you will be confronted with it soon or later"

"Oh, no that doesn't sound good. I thought it couldn't get worse than this" I statemented and looked in her sad eyes.

"I'm sorry Arthas but you have to find out the truth even if it hurts"

"What exactly are you talking about?" I asked worried about which truth she could reveal.

"I'm talking about Uther, your father... and your people..." she started but didn't speak any further

"TELL ME. TELL ME WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT THEM" I shouted and grabbed her shoulders, ignoring the worried and afraid look she was giving me. I knew that I would hate myself later for having caused that she was looking at me like this but I couldn't stop myself from shaking her as if I wanted to force an answer out of her. She didn't defend herself and I noticed that I wouldn't receive any information if I keep scaring her. I let her go and took a seat on the bed, this time the distance between us was a lot larger. She bit her bottom lip nervously and chew on her fingernails while she seemed to formulate the right words in her head before would give me an answer.

"Your father... he is..." she started but broke out in tears. This time, I showed patience and sympathy, knowing that forcing her to speak would only make it worse. I wrapped my arms around her body, resting her head on my shoulders. I stroked her head until she was done with crying, then I whispered "Please tell me what had happened"

She gave me a small nod and pulled away a little so that she was able to stare in my eyes. My jaw dropped when she spoke out the following words. "The Lich King has forced you to kill your father"

I just stared at her, tears began to form in the corner of my eyes. "No, please don't tell me that this is the truth. This cannot be... No, I don't believe that... This cannot be possible. I...I... I would never kill my own father...Never ever would I kill him" I cried out and jumped up, walking backwards until my back met the wall.

"I'm sorry Arthas... I wish I could say something else but this is the unfortunate truth..." she said, trying to sound as comforting as possible which didn't work at all. She walked to me, her face told me that she was very sorry about my loss. She stopped in front of me, placing her arms around me and looking into my eyes.

"I'm so sorry Arthas but the only thing I could say to cheer you up is that you didn't do it on purpose. Ner'zhul's spirit had been absorbed by you when you had taken Frostmourne. The sword had corrupted you and forced you to do it. It has convinced you that you were doing the right thing. It's not your fault. You were not yourself when your father died. You were a slave to Frostmourne's evil magic"

I remained silent, not knowing what to say in response. My mind was having troubles to come to terms with what Jaina had told me. I just stared at her, not saying anything. I couldn't believe that I had been responsible for the death of my father. She had told me that the Lich King had forced me to do it but this didn't change the fact that I had killed my own father. I couldn't believe that he was dead. I had loved him like every other member of my family. He had always been proud of me and had done his best to raise me to a man who would protect his people. And now he was gone. I had killed him under the Lich King's influence. I didn't know, at this very moment, if I could ever forgive myself. I didn't know if the people of Lordaeron would forgive me.

I noticed that Jaina was wiping the tears out of my face which ran down my cheeks. She stroked my cheeks with her thumbs and gave me a slightly worried but also comforting look.

"What else have I done?" I asked and looked in her worried blue eyes.

"Arthas... I think you should come to terms with your father's death first before you find out more about the happenings of the past decade" she responded and continued to stroke my cheeks.

"You may be right but I want to hear it all. Tell me now what I have done, Jaina" I said with a demanding voice. She regarded me for a moment, a frown appeared on her forehead. She bit her bottom lip softly and remained silent for almost five minutes. It took a lot of effort for her to convince herself to say something. "Alright, Arthas but don't say later that I haven't warned you. You must know that the truth is really sad"

"Tell me, please" I said and pulled her closer to me, giving her a confident look.

"You turned almost the entire population of Lordaeron into undead creatures. The Lich King also forced you to kill Uther and attack Quel'Thalas. The list of things which the Lich King has done, while he had controlled you, is very long" she told and regarded my face.

I noticed that she was afraid of how I might react. It seemed that she would expect that I would hit her or destroy something but I did none of these. Instead, I stared at the opposite wall and didn't move at all. I didn't know how long I had stared at the wall but it felt that I had been staring for a long time. I shifted my gaze back to Jaina who was still looking at me with worry in her eyes.

I was feeling like a broken man at this moment. Not long ago, I had travelled to Northrend to defeat Mal'Ganis. And now I had learned that I had been controlled for a long time by an evil spirit which had forced me to do unspeakable things to my people, to my family and to my friends. My father was dead, Uther was dead and almost the entire population of Lordaeron was dead too.

I was grieving, tears were running over my cheeks but I didn't wipe them away. I let them drop on the floor where they dissolved eventually. I didn't recognize myself anymore. I had once been the popular prince of Lordaeron who would have done anything to protect his people. Now I was a monster who had slain his own father and had doomed his people. Not even my dear mentor Uther had survived the massacre which I had caused.

Numerous thoughts came in my mind.

_What should I do now? Would I ever be able to forgive myself? Do I deserve to die for my actions? Will others try to kill me for what I have done? Am I a monster? Am I still human? Am I responsible for everything or is the Lich King the one who is responsible? Does Jaina regard me as a monster? Does she hate me? Or does she feel sorry for me?_

"Arthas... I know that this is a lot to assimilate and to accept but I believe that you can do it. The mortals will make you responsible for the Lich King's action and try to capture and punish you. But I will support you. I don't think that you are guilty of what had happened. You tried to save your people. Unfortunately, it backfired horribly. I believe that you would have never picked up Frostmourne if you would have known what it would do to you. I believe that you are still a good person. You just have to find a way to forgive yourself"

"I don't think that I could do that"

"Arthas..." she started but didn't speak any further when she saw the sad look, I was giving her"

"I'm glad that you stand with me and still believe that I'm a good person. I'm glad that you want to help me but I need some time alone. I need time to think about these new... insights. I need time to find a way to forgive myself. I can't expect that others forgive me if I can't even forgive myself. I hope you can understand that I need some space" I spoke with a low and sad voice.

"I can understand that. Please promise me that you won't do anything to yourself. Don't get yourself in danger, okay" she responded and rubbed my cheeks when she looked into my eyes. I noticed worry, sadness but also a little amount of hope in her eyes. I nodded and squeezed her hand softly, then I stepped away from her. She grabbed her wand and muttered a few phrases. A portal was opened behind me a few minutes later.

"I will leave this place for a few weeks. The spell I have cast on the door prevents that you can open it. Promise me that you don't do anything stupid. I will tell you the remaining information you need to know when you are done grieving for your family and the people of Lordaeron" she said with a slightly sad tone in her voice. I nodded my head slightly and gave her a weak smile.

She stepped on her tiptoes so that her face was almost on the same height as mine. I could tell from the face she was making, that she was debating if she should kiss me or not. She hesitated for a few moments but then leaned in and pressed her lips against mine. Her lips were cold but not as cold as her skin.

I didn't kiss her back at first because of a reason I couldn't figure out. It was weird to not feel her warm lips and her hot breath. Her lips felt strange at first but with each passing second, they felt more and more pleasant. I kissed her back after a few moments, my hand held the back of her head and toyed with her hair. We parted after a while and looked at the other, signs of embarrassment were visible in her face and I was pretty sure that my facial expression wasn't different at all.

The corner of her lips formed a small smile as she observed me from head to toe. "Be careful, Arthas. I will visit you in a week or two. Take your time and think about everything. Don't forget that I'm always here for you if you need me. I won't let you down this time, I swear" she said and hugged me. I gave her a nod when she looked at me for the last time before she walked to the portal and went through it.


	20. Acceptance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I noticed that I did a mistake in the last chapter. I've written that Jaina told Arthas that he had absorbed Ner'zhuls spirit when he had taken Frostmourne.
> 
> That's false.
> 
> Arthas became one with Ner'zhul when he reached the Frozen Throne and put the Helm of Domination on his head, not when he picked up Frostmourne.
> 
> Please forgive me for this mistake.
> 
> Write a comment or a review if you like this story. Would make me happy :)
> 
> Greetings,
> 
> Darkness

_Jaina's POV_

My gaze fell on Arthas when I stepped out of the portal and arrived in my room. He was sitting on the edge of my bed, his upper body was bent forward and his elbows rested on his upper thighs. His fingers were dug into his hair and it seemed that he was staring at the floor. I hadn't seen him for almost two weeks so I was wondering what was up with him. It didn't seem that he had forgiven himself for what had happened in the past. Of course, it was not his fault but he seemed to feel guilty for the death of his father and annihilation of his kingdom.

It seemed that he hadn't noticed me because he wasn't looking up to me nor was he greeting me. I regarded him for a short moment, then I approached him and bent down so that our heads were at the same height. "Arthas?" I whispered and rested my hands on his', pulling them away from his head. He didn't move his head so I put my hand under his chin and forced him to look at me.

I noticed that he was even paler than usual, his eyes were widened and his bottom lip was burst because he had bitten it a lot recently. He wasn't looking in my face at first but then his eyes stared into mine after a few minutes.

"Arthas?" I asked again, hoping that he would answer me this time. He remained silent for a few seconds, then he began to whisper. "I'm responsible for their deaths... I have killed my own father and doomed my people... What kind of a monster am I? What kind of a demon am I that I killed everyone who was important for me? What have I become?"

I frowned in worry and placed my hands on his cheeks, stroking them with my thumbs. It hurt me to see him like this. Of course, I had expected that he would be sad and angry at himself but I hadn't expected that he would still sit on my bed like a wet blanket, after almost two weeks. I had expected that he would accept what had happened quicker. It seemed that he needed me and I would do everything to get him through this phase of grief and self-hatred.

"It's not your fault, Arthas. The Lich King forced you to do all these horrible things. It was not you who was in control of your body. It was the Lich King who did all of this" I responded and sat next to him, turning his face so that he was looking at me, his eyes were full of sadness and grief.

"I've picked up this sword to defeat Mal'Ganis. I've picked up this corrupted sword which had changed me. I am responsible for all of this. If I wouldn't have followed the bloody path of vengeance, I would never have searched for this sword. I doomed my people at the moment where I took this sword" he responded, his voice was much louder than a whisper but not as loud as his normal voice.

I bit my bottom lip softly and responded with a soft and caring voice. "Don't be so hard to yourself, Arthas. You couldn't have known that this sword would corrupt you. You would have never picked it up if you would have known what it does to you"

"I don't think so"

"So, you think that you have been blinded by your thirst for vengeance that you would even have taken that sword even if you would have known what it does with you? I don't believe that for a single second. I know that you are grieving but you should stop thinking so badly about yourself. Frostmourne had caused that change in you but back then. The Arthas I've known would've never considered the risk of losing his own kingdom only to get his revenge. You tried to save your people. I don't want to deny that there could have been other solutions...BETTER solutions to deal with the plague. You did the only thing which was possible for you in your situation. You killed Mal'Ganis but then the sword had started to corrupt you" I explained and made a small pause, scrutinizing him for a small moment before I spoke any further" Do me a favour and don't blame yourself too much. Blaming yourself won't change the past"

"I don't think that I will ever forgive myself for that what had happened. Even if I'm not fully responsible for what happened, doesn't mean that I don't feel guilty. My family is gone, Uther is gone and my father's kingdom is gone too... I had dedicated my life to protect the kingdom of Lordaeron and now it is gone..." whispered Arthas and stared at his feet. A tear rolled over his cheeks but he didn't intend to wipe it away. I was the one who wiped it away, coming even closer to Arthas so that our bodies touched.

"Well, there is a chance that Calia is still alive. I have never heard of her death nor have I seen her among the ranks of the Scourge. I don't know how high the chance is but somehow I know that she is still alive and hides somewhere" I responded and kissed his cheek softly. My lips formed a small smile when I noticed the awaited effect of the kiss: Arthas relaxed a little, he shifted a bit so that his sitting position was a bit more comfortable.

"I can't understand that you are still on my side and support me although you know what I have done. What is wrong with you Jaina that you still want to hang out with such a monster like me? You should better keep enough distance from me. Who knows what I am also capable of" he said and tried to move away from me but I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and prevented that he could get away. I rested my head on his left shoulder, closing my eyes and pressing my body against his'. I didn't need to respond verbally to tell him that I loved him and would still support him whatever would happen. My body was speaking for me.

"Jaina..." he started but didn't speak any further. He was at loss of words and didn't do anything else except holding me. I noticed that I was feeling a lot more comfortable when he was around. I enjoyed being held by him while being able to rest my head on his strong shoulders. We might not be the same persons anymore we once had been when we had been alive, but I was pretty sure that we will make things work together. Of course, I knew that Arthas would need more time to fully accept what had happened in the past but as soon as he had done that, we could move on and find out what the future holds for us.

"I'm sorry for what had happened to you" he whispered and ran his hands through my hair. A spark of excitement rushed through my body when his fingers stroked over my scalp. He pulled me closer to him so that my front was pressed against his chest which wasn't covered by armour. The fabric of my blue full body dress rubbed against the fabric of his yellow tunic.

"Who has done this to you? Who is responsible for your death?" he asked and put his hand under my chin. I stared in his handsome blue eyes, my lips formed a thin line.

"It doesn't matter who has killed me and raised me" I whispered.

"It does for me. I will make sure that this bastard will pay for killing you. I will not rest until I have him"

"He is already gone. You will never be able to find him"

"Do you want to tell me who this person was?" he asked and put my face in his hands, stroking my cheeks softly.

"I don't remember his name. It doesn't matter anymore. What matters is that we are together. We will get through everything as long as we are together" I responded and gave him a small smile.

I felt bad about lying to him but I knew that it was the only way to keep him from falling in a deep hole of grief and never-ending depressions. I knew that it was a risk because Sylvanas could inform him about this which would mean that the news would affect him a lot more than they would do if I would tell him the truth.

Arthas had barely managed to accept what had happened while he had been controlled by the Lich King. It would destroy him if he would find out at this very moment, that he was the one who had killed me and raised me. Of course, the Lich King had forced him to kill me but that wouldn't matter for Arthas. He would blame himself for my death and the chance that he would forgive himself would be very low. I didn't want to risk that he would do something to himself so I decided to never tell him that I died by his hands.

"Such a shame. I would love to catch this person and make him pay for what he or she has done to you"

"It's the best that you try to forget what happened to us and enjoy that we have each other. It has been pretty hard for me to free you from the Lich King's control, I would be devastated if something happens to you or if you do something stupid. I've missed you so much, I don't want to lose you again" I said quietly, tears started to form in my eyes.

"Don't worry, Jaina. I can take care of myself" he said and gave me comforting smile. I could swear that I had seen the old Arthas in him for a moment. The old Arthas who was free from any pain, grief, depressions, loss and hatred. For a moment I had recognized the typical smile the younger Arthas had given me all the time, before the events in Lordaeron. The Arthas who was sitting in front of me was different to the Arthas I had fallen in love with. He was not the same innocent prince anymore but he was no longer the cold-blooded murderer anymore he had been while the Lich King had controlled him. He was a good person again. A good person who will be marked forever by the events of the past years. I was glad that I got him back and I will do everything to protect him from those who want him dead.

"You still haven't told me about the woman with the red cape who had tried to kill us" he said quietly and rubbed my back softly.

"You are right. I owe you an explanation of this"

"Yes, you do" he replied and gave me another smile.

"After the fall of Lordaeron, the Lich King had forced you to attack the kingdom of the high elves. He wanted to resurrect the necromancer Kel'Thuzad with the help of the Sunwell, meaning that you were forced to attack Quel'Thalas. Of course, the elves did their best to protect their home but they weren't strong enough. Their best archer, Ranger-General Sylvanas Windrunner, fought against you but even she fell in front of the gates of Silvermoon City. The sadistic Lich King had forced you to raise her as a banshee and torment her by letting her watch how her people were slaughtered and her homeland destroyed" I explained and hugged him tightly, comforting him by pressing my body against his'.

"So, I'm also responsible for her death and the fall of Quel'Thalas... Does the list, with the names of those for which death and suffering I'm responsible, have an end?

"I'm afraid to tell you this, but a lot of people had suffered and were killed under the Lich King's cruel reign. The best is that you don't take it to your heart and try to accept it. It was not your fault. The Lich King would have done the same if he would have gotten another vessel. We have to accept what had happened and concentrate us on the future. It's not healthy for our sanity if we keep living in the past. We have to let it go and stop hating ourselves for what we have done while we had been controlled by the Lich King." I responded

"You are right... It's not good for us to keep mourning. We should be happy instead that we still have each other" he whispered. I gave him a smile and pulled his face very close to mine. My eyes were closed when our foreheads touched and our noses were rubbed together. We stayed like this for a while until he pulled back and regarded me.

"Is something wrong?" I asked when I noticed him staring.

"No, not really. I just wanted to admire your never-ending beauty" he whispered and intertwined our fingers.

"Thank you" I responded quietly. I found myself blushing a little which made Arthas chuckle. I hadn't received a compliment about my look in a long time, especially not from my Arthas and especially not since I died.

"What do we do now?" he asked curiously.

"First of all, I want you to kiss me" I announced, the shy smile on my lips didn't get unnoticed by him. He smiled back and leaned in, attaching his lips to mine. A spark of electricity rushed through my body when I kissed him back and pressed my body against his'. He cupped my cheeks with his hands and deepened the kiss. I wrapped my arms around his neck, moving my body until I sat in his lap. My tongue flickered over his bottom lip, begging for entrance. My tongue slipped in his mouth as soon as his lips parted. He did the same and rubbed my cheeks with his thumbs.

At this very moment, I wish that this kiss would never end. The kiss was sweet and far much better than I had expected. It was not as good as the kisses we had shared when we both had been alive but it was still a very good kiss. If I would have been alive, feeling his lips against mine would have made my heart flutter. My skin tingled instead as if it was telling that it wanted to be touched.

I wrapped my legs around Arthas' waist and got closer to him. He smiled into the kiss and ran the fingers of one hand through my hair while his other played with the hem of my dress. I was wondering what he would do next. Would he just kiss me or would he make the next step and undress me? I was curious and already full of anticipation about what he would do.

But it was allowed for me to find out if Arthas was about to do the next step or not. Loud knocks on the door interrupted our intimate moment and caused us to deviate from each other. I looked at Arthas, noticing the surprised but also worried expression on his face. I stood up, signalizing him that he should hide in the closet, then I went to the door. I looked through the little peephole, recognizing my brother and three guards who were standing in front of my door. I was wondering if they knew that I was here or if they only had the suspicion that I could be here.

I didn't know what to do at this moment. I noticed, when turning around, that Arthas had managed to get in the wardrobe and had closed its door. I looked back at the room's door, wondering if it would be better to not say anything or to just let them in and try to figure out a logical excuse.

I decided to not say anything and hope they would just go away.

"Jaina? Are you in there?" sounded the curious voice of my brother. I closed my eyes, leaning against the door and hoping that he would not try to open the door. I was wishing that they would just leave me alone.

"I know that you are in your room, Jaina. Come out, mother wants to talk to you" he said and knocked at the door.

_This is only a bait. Don't fall for it. Just stay silent and wait until he walks away. You can do it!_

"Helllooooooooo?" he shouted and knocked again.

_You just need to hold out for a few moments. Just don't make any noise. Good, keep going_

I closed my eyes and pressed the palms of my hands together, praying that Tandred would walk away. Unfortunately for me, he didn't walk away. I hear the rustling of a bunch of keys, meaning that this door was about to be opened soon. I stepped away from the door, thinking about what I should do at this moment. The magic preventing spells had been removed weeks ago, meaning that I was able to use magic. Of course, I wouldn't hurt my brother or the guards so my only option was to get away with Arthas. I couldn't allow that the Alliance would get Arthas. I didn't want to imagine what they would do with them if they catch him.

I rushed to the wardrobe and reached it at the very moment, where the door was open.

"Jaina..." the surprised voice of my brother shouted out. "What are you doing?" he asked with widened eyes. I looked at him and remained silent for the first few seconds. Neither he or the guards dared to come closer. I was wondering why but then I noticed that I had begun to cast a spell without noticing it. I wouldn't hurt them of course, instead, I used this released magic for a short-ranged teleportation spell.

"I'm doing the right thing" I answered and opened the wardrobe, pulling one of Arthas' arms out. I grabbed his hand and finished the spell before my brother and his guards were able to reach me. They couldn't prevent we disappeared out of my room.

* * *

_Arthas' POV_

I didn't realize at first what had happened. I had heard Jaina talking with someone I didn't know. Then she had grabbed my hand and had cast one of her spells. It didn't need long for me to realize that we weren't standing in her room anymore. I didn't know where we were, nor did I really want to know it because this place looked very strange and miserable.

We were standing in a very large hall which floor and walls were painted in very dark bluish colours. I noticed separated bones, limps and other body parts were spread over the floor. But these were not the most horrible things in the room. The most horrible things were the creatures who were standing in the middle of the hall, surrounding us.

These creatures were undead, their bodies were partly rotten, which made them look anything but pleasant. Some of these creatures looked almost humanoid, except that their skins were very pale and their eyes were crimson red. Even very tall creatures were present in this room and looked down at us.

I stared at these creatures, my mouth was widely opened and my eyes were widened. I was pretty sure that I was not looking like the brave warrior who didn't fear anything, at this moment. I was assuming that I looked more like a fool who was afraid of these ugly creatures. I had fought against undead creatures in Lordaeron but these monsters looked a lot scarier and stronger than the ones I had encountered. I wish that my hammer Light's Vengeance was at my side, at this very moment but I also knew that it wouldn't save me if those creatures would attack me. They were far too numerous and would run kill me. I would be able to take a few of them with me but it wouldn't matter because I would die for sure if they would attack me.

I expected that they would attack me but they didn't do anything. They observed me for a short moment, then they bowed to me, showing their loyalty. Their behaviour really surprised me. Until this very moment, I had only met undead creatures who had attacked me and tried to kill me. It was odd to see them bowing to me.

I was guessing that they still thought that I was the Lich King. They thought that I was still the one who led the undead army against the living. The one who had murdered King Terenas and doomed the people of Lordaeron just to demonstrate power.

I was sure that they were regarding me as their master but I was not sure what I should do at this very moment. I didn't know why Jaina had brought us to this place and I also didn't know if these creatures will really obey me without questioning my decisions. Maybe I could get rid of them and free Azeroth from the undead plague.

I turned my head a little and looked at Jaina who was giving me a surprised expression. She stepped next to me and took my hand, intertwining our fingers. I turned around when I heard quiet footsteps from behind, noticing a beautiful woman with pale grey skin and massive wings which came out of her back. She was wearing a weirdly shaped crown and a red dress which exposed her belly but covered the rest of her elegant looking body.

She bowed to me and spoke "It's good to know that you are back, master. I', curious why you are wearing these weird clothes". I looked down at myself when she pointed at me, noticing that I was still wearing the trousers and the tunic Jaina had given me.

I didn't know at first what I should answer. I couldn't tell her the truth because that would mean that the undead would try to put me under the Lich King's control. I also didn't know if I was able to sell a smart lie which would be believable. This woman looked like a very smart person, so I was assuming that it would be not easy to trick her.

"It's none of your business why the master is wearing these clothes. He can wear whatever he wants" said Jaina said gave this woman a cold look. I looked at her, noticing the small smile she was giving me for a split of a second.

"Of course, of course, he can wear whatever he wants. I'm just saying that his outfit looks really... weird. Especially because these are typical clothes worn by the living" said this woman and looked at me. I could tell from the way she was looking at me that it was pretty hard for her to take me seriously while I was wearing these clothes. The other creatures, on the other hand, didn't seem to care about my outfit.

"These clothes were necessary for an important mission we made after we had left the battlefield in the Borean Tundra" explained Jaina with an emotionless voice. It surprised me that she was so good at playing this role of an emotionless high ranked commander of the Scourge. It almost felt like she was really this careless commander. Fortunately, I had witnessed her real personality so I knew that this was only a trick to convince this woman that we were on her side.

"So, you left the battlefield for a mission? That doesn't sound logical to me, especially after you have tried to tell the mortals that the Lich King is gone" responded this woman, doubt was clearly hearable in her voice and readable in her eyes. This didn't look good for us, Jaina may be a good actress but her acting skills didn't seem to be good enough to convince this woman. I had to help her to sell this lie.

"She is right. We went on a mission. I had only pretended that Arthas Menethil was back in control to trick Jaina in teleporting away with me. This had given me the opportunity to bring her under my control and make her to our ally. Then I had decided to test her loyalty by going with her on a mission. The clothes have proven to be very useful" I responded and did my best to look at her with a serious expression on my face. I was afraid that she wouldn't believe us because this explanation sounded very stupid.

"The Banshee Queen attacked us shortly afterwards and had managed to separate Frostmourne from the master. I'm pretty sure that she had locked it away and won't give it back to us without fighting for it. This will weaken us but won't stop us from conquering Azeroth" explained Jaina and looked at me for a short moment before she looked back at the woman whose name I didn't know.

"And what kind of a mission was this?" she asked. It was clearly recognizable that she didn't quite believe our story.

"You don't need to know that Lana'thel. The master chooses which information he wants to share with you and which he hides from you"

"Since when do you speak for the master?" she asked, her eyebrow was raised, signalizing us that she was still doubting our story.

"Since Selania's death. Someone needs to be my right hand and Lady Proudmoore fits this role perfectly. She knows a lot about us and has proven her worth" I responded and stared into the woman's eyes, signalizing her that she should stop asking us unnecessary questions.

"Fine. I believe you. I'm waiting for new orders" she said and came closer to us. I was not sure if she was really believing us or just lying that she would believe it. At least she seemed to stop to pump out more details.

"I will give you orders soon enough. For now, rest and wait until I ask for you" I responded, giving Lana'thel an unreadable look. She nodded and bowed to us. "As you wish, master" she said and walked away. Jaina placed her hand on my shoulder. My body tingled for a moment as we were teleported away and appeared in a very large room which looked like my old room in Lordaeron, except that the colours were dark, letting the room look miserable and dismally instead of colourful and mighty.

"This looks like my room..." I whispered and looked at Jaina who was giving me a weak smile.

"More like a corrupted version of it"

"It really surprises me that this Lana'thel believed us. I thought that they would capture us and try to let the Lich King back in my head"

"It's a miracle indeed. I shouldn't have brought us to this place but I couldn't imagine any other place where we are safe from the Alliance and Horde. Everything went to fast so I didn't hesitate and ported us the first place which came in my mind" she responded and pressed her head against my chest. I rested my left hand on her head, stroking her scalp softly.

"We aren't safe here either, at least not until they find out what I'm not their master"

"Then we have to pretend that you are him. I have to tell you what I know and we have to hope that this is enough to convince them that we are on their side"

"How long do we have to hide in this miserable place?" I asked.

"As long as I need to find a better place where we can hide until I have a plan what to do. We can't go to the Alliance because they will throw us in a prison and convict you for things the Lich King has done. They can't see the difference between you and him. They won't understand that you are not guilty. It seems we have to stay in this place for a while until we find a better place to hide"

"Where are we anyway?" I asked and caressed her back softly.

"We are in the heart of the Scourge, in Icecrown Citadel. This is the Lich King's residence and the place where he had forged his wicked plans" she explained and looked deep into my eyes.

"So, what are we doing now? Trying to get rid of the Scourge? Try to negotiate with the living? Or do we hide and hope that nobody finds us?"

"I don't know... I need time to think about each possibility. Please, do not push me" responded Jaina, her face and her posture told me that she overtaxed with this situation and was not sure what to do.

"Take your time, Jaina. We don't need to hurry" I said quietly and caressed her cheek, pressing my lips on her forehead. All worry vanished out of her face as soon as I pulled back and gave her a convincing smile. She smiled back and placed a soft kiss on lips, regarding me as if the time to look at me was limited.

I wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to me so that our bodies touched. I put my hand under her chin, lifting it a little. She leaned in and kissed me softly. The kiss held for a few minutes. It could have lasted longer because no one of us needed to breathe but we decided to end it sooner as we would have liked because we had to consider what to do.

* * *

_Jaina's POV_

"Arthas? Are you there?" I asked and looked around, trying to find out where he was.

"I'm here" his quiet voice sounded out of his personal bathroom which bordered on his private room. I frowned when I walked to the bathroom's door, wondering why he was in there. I stopped in front of the door and opened it slowly, glancing in for a short moment.

"You can come in, Jaina" said Arthas shortly after I had closed the door. I opened the door and stepped inside. I raised an eyebrow and gave Arthas a questionable look. He was sitting in a tub filled to the edge with what seemed to be hot water. He was looking at the surface of the water as if he was thinking about something. I stared at him for a few moments, then I stepped in the bathroom and closed the door behind me without making a noise. I walked slowly to the tub, not making any sound. I walked around the tub and squat down behind him. I rested my head on his left shoulder, wrapping my arm around his neck. He showed no reaction when our bodies came in contact. He did nothing except staring at the water's surface.

"Arthas?" I asked with a low voice and pressed my front against his back. "Is everything okay?

I was wondering why he was behaving like this. A week ago, he had been happy and seemed to had assimilated the events of the past. But at this very moment, it seemed that he didn't come to terms with the events of the past.

He was silent and just stared at the water. "I'm not sure" he spoke, breaking the depressing silence which had lasted for a few minutes.

"I know that it is hard to accept what had happened but you have no other choice than accept it. The grieve will devour you if you don't it let go, my dear" I whispered with my softest voice and placed a soft kiss behind his ear.

"Accept it... It's not that easy as it sounds... You are not the one who is responsible for the deaths of millions..."

I wrapped both arms around his neck, putting my hands on his muscular chest, above the spot where his heart was. His heart which had once beaten in his chest.

"You are not the only one who is regretting the own decisions and choices. I am responsible for the death of my father and the guilt has haunted me for years until I had accepted that his death had been necessary. I still wish that he would have listened to me and would have stopped killing innocent orcs but I also know that I had made the right choice. My actions caused my father's death but I also stopped the slaughtering of innocent creatures. Also, I had maintained peace between the Alliance and the Horde. I had negotiated with the Horde because we had needed their help in the past against the Scourge. We all have to do things we don't want to do and sometimes we have no other choice than doing these horrible things. You also forget that the Lich King has controlled you and forced you to fight against the living. You didn't do all of this on purpose" I spoke and softly caressed his cold skin with my fingertips. My soft touch calmed him down and caused that he was looking less conflicted. I even noticed a very small and weak smile on his lips through the water's reflecting surface.

"You may be right..." he started but I put my index finger on his lips, silencing him.

"I AM right, Arthas" I contradicted.

"Yes, you are. I have forgotten that the mighty Jaina Proudmoore is always right" he responded with a small smile on his lips, his voice sounded a lot happier and less sad. I giggled and rubbed my face against his'.

"That sounds more like the Arthas I remember" I said quietly and placed my hand under his chin. I stood up a little, my head was above his' so that I could look down at him and regard his entire body from this angle. I lifted his chin and tilted his head back, forcing him to look at me. I stared in his beautiful blue eyes, ignoring the questioning look he was giving me. I lowered my head until my lips met his'.

I closed my eyes and toyed with his hair when I kissed him. His lips were surprisingly warm, maybe because of the hot water which was warming his body. I ran my fingers through his long hair while my second hand stroked over his strong shoulders and his chest.

We held the kiss for a while, not knowing how much time had passed when I pulled away and regarded his handsome face once more.

"I didn't know that undead creatures like us can bear hot water. I had assumed that it would not be good for us" I said and placed a soft kiss on his left cheek.

"Well, I don't have a problem with hot water. You told me that I was the first death knight of this orc shaman. What was his name?"

"Ner'zhul but what does he have to do with the heat tolerance of our bodies?"

"I don't really look like the average undead creature, neither do you. Our bodies are in a much better condition than the bodies of most of the members of the Scourge. Maybe Ner'zhul had put a lot of power in, to make me more resistant against the elements and other sources of power the living prefers to use. But you... I can't explain why can also bear hot water. It's just a theory. Who knows the real reason" he explained and tilted his head, staring at the water's surface.

I didn't know if he was staring at the water directly or if he was regarding our reflections in it. I was not sure if he was really used to his 'new' appearance and the fact that he didn't need to sleep, eat, drink or breath. I was pretty sure it was hard for him to get used to the new daily routines. We didn't need to sleep so we had lots of free time we could spend. Sometimes, I had the impression that Arthas didn't know what to do with this additional free time.

I used my free time to train but Arthas pretended that he would be sleeping. I had seen this phenomenon for the first time when I had visited Undercity a few years ago. A forsaken mage had told me that some of Sylvanas' servants preferred to lay in a bed and don't move at all for a few hours. It was their version of sleep. They did this because they couldn't get used to a twenty-hour day where they didn't need to rest or because they didn't know what to do with their additional free time. If Arthas wasn't training or trying to assimilate the events of the past decade, then he was trying to rest.

I looked at him, thinking about his statement, then responding to it. "I'm not sure that every undead creature would be able to bear hot water. I think that we can bear it because we are very powerful and special undead creatures. You are a death knight, Ner'zhuls first champion to be exact, and I am a frost lich. Anyways, how does the water feel?"

"It feels good, I guess. Not as good as I remember but still pleasant enough" he responded and turned his head a little so that he was able to see me out of the corner of his left eye. I gave him a small smile and rubbed his shoulders softly, then I started to massage them with my hands.

"Your shoulders are very stiff, my dear" I statemented, a small smile appeared on my lips when he closed his eyes and relaxed.

"What should I say? I couldn't relax at all over the past months"

"Then I will make sure that you can relax a little" I whispered in his ear and massaged a bit harder. A low moan escaped his lips when my hands worked wonders on his tensed muscles.

"I don't remember that you are so good at doing massages, Jaina" he whispered and rested his head in my lap as soon as I had sat down on the edge of the tub.

"Well, I may have learned one or two new things over the past decade" I responded with a teasing voice. He opened his eyes and stared into mine, giving me a small smile. I shifted a bit and put my legs in the tub, not carrying that my dress got wet. My lower legs dangled next to his body in the water. His smile became wider and his eyes glowed up for a small moment. I raised my eyebrow, wondering which idea had come in his mind. He sat up and turned around, regarding me with interest. I titled my head a little to the side and regarded his slightly mocking grin.

"What? I asked. But before I was able to ask him what was on his mind, he took both of my arms and pulled me in the water. My entire dress and body got wet. Same counted for my hair which became wet when he pulled me under water. I dove up and stared at him. He grinned triumphantly at me and ran his wet fingers through his dry white hair. I gave him a serious look but I couldn't hold it for too long when I saw the childish look he was giving me. I shook my head and giggled. I looked at him for a short moment, then I stood up and put my hands on the neckline of my dress.

"What are you doing?" he asked curiously, one of his eyebrows was raised.

"Well, I have not planned on enjoying the bath with wet clothes which are sticking to my body.

"So, you are taking them off?" he asked curiously. I giggled at his innocence. I had really missed this silly and childish behaviour when we were alone. Of course, he had never acted like this when someone else had been around. It was a real phenomenon that he sometimes had behaved like that when we had been alone.

"Of course, Arthas. What else should I do with them? Letting them disappear like a mage?"

"Er, sure"

"That would be boring wouldn't it?" I asked, not expecting an answer from him. I pulled my dress above my head and took it off, revealing my nude form to Arthas. My lips formed a wide smile when I noticed his widened eyes and his widely opened mouth. Of course, I had expected such a reaction from him. He was a man after all and men had such kind of reactions when they saw a beautiful and naked woman.

And I was pretty beautiful - Breathtakingly beautiful indeed

I was glad that Arthas didn't need to breathe because he would have forgotten it at this moment.

I gave him a faked shy smile and put a wet strand of hair behind my ear. I was still standing in front of him, the surprisingly pleasant water reached to my upper thighs. I noticed a slight movement in the water. Arthas was covering a certain area with his hands, looking away, trying to hide his embarrassment. I came closer to him, stopping right in front of him. I put my hand under his chin and turned his head so that he was forced to look at me.

I smiled when I noticed he was observing my large breasts. He crossed one leg over the other, trying to hide as best as he could that his body was functioning very well. I gave him a teasing smile and moved to the other end of the tub, sitting down.

The water reached to my shoulders and made me relax. I had to admit that the hot water felt so incredibly good against my cold skin.

I looked at Arthas whose eyes rested on me. He was still embarrassed that I had caught him ogling my highly erotic curves and that his body had reacted in a certain expected way.

"What now?" Arthas asked curiously. He seemed to be a bit uneasy because of this new situation.

"Just relax" I responded and rested my head and arms on the edge of the tub. I stretched my legs out so that my feet touched his'. I looked at him one more time before I closed my eyes and began to enjoy the hot water.


	21. Trust and Mistrust

_Arthas' POV_

"Hey Arthas" Jaina's strange voice sounded. Getting used to her voice had taken a while for me, especially because I was still remembering the lovely and cheerful voice she once had before she had been killed and brought back to life. I had loved the voice of the shy and innocent Jaina. Her current voice didn't sound as terrible anymore as it did when I had heard it for the first time. On the contrary, I loved it since I had gotten used to it.

"What?" I asked and continued to stare at her.

"What are you looking at?" she asked with a teasing tone in her voice which was unmistakable for me.

"Nothing" I whispered and turned my head so that I wasn't looking at her bare breasts anymore. I would have blushed at this very moment if I would have been alive. Instead of blushing, I toyed with the tips of my hair, not keeping eye contact with her.

"Nothing. Sure, I believe that" she giggled and stood up. I didn't look at her, knowing that I wouldn't be able to shift my gaze away from her beautiful nude form. I didn't see it, but considering the movement in the water and the splashing sounds, she had moved to another spot and had taken a seat. I felt a cold but also soft hand under my chin which forced me to look in the most beautiful undead face I ever had seen in my life.

My skin tingled when her soft and elegant fingers caressed my cheeks. She was regarding me with a wide smile on her beautiful purple lips. I returned her smile and placed my arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer. She leaned her head against my chest, resting one of her hands on my right knee then she took my right hand and intertwined our fingers. Her thumb brushed over the back of my hand, her other hand was rubbing my knee.

"It has been a long time ago since we had taken a bath together" I said quietly and closed my eyes, enjoying the very pleasant water with Jaina who was pressing her body against mine.

"It has been a long time since we had spent time together as a couple in general. Now we can spend time together, but we have to be careful and hide. We can't show others that we are together, neither can we show up in general because the living would not understand that you are finally free after all those years where you had been controlled by a powerful being" she responded and kissed my left cheek softly.

"I'm not sure if the living will ever believe us. Varian had looked at me as if he would have liked to cut me in little pieces. I thought that we were friends but it seems that he had developed a large amount of hatred towards me. I can understand his behaviour. What I have done in the Lich King's name is unforgivable"

"Don't worry, my dear. We will find a way to solve this problem. I will make sure that the Alliance will believe us and won't try to kill us. First of all, we have to convince them that we are on their side. We have to speak to them but we shouldn't meet with Varian because he would execute us on sight. We have to speak with someone who is more understanding and shows more tolerance" she said quietly and stroked my stomach muscles. I opened my eyes, the corner of the lips formed a small smile when I saw her cheeky grin.

"Who do you have in mind?" I asked and placed a quick kiss on her nose. She giggled and responded "I think Rhonin would be the ideal person we should address.

"You think that he would believe us?" I asked doubtingly.

"Yes, I think so. He was my mentor after Antonidas' death and he had become a very close friend for me. Not to mention that he is the husband of my best friend" she responded and leaned closer against me, pressing her lips against my neck. She bit my neck softly, leaving a mark which would be visible for at least a few days.

"Alright, then let's go" I said and stood up. The water dripped off my body and landed back in the tub. I ignored Jaina's widened eyes and her wide grin when she scrutinized my naked body. I grabbed a towel and wrapped it around my hips. Jaina's satisfied wide smile didn't fade, although I have covered my waist and upper thighs.

"It seems that you have enjoyed the view" I said teasingly and stretched out my hand to her.

"It would be a lie if I would say that I'm not attracted to you" she responded and took my hand. I pulled her up, ogling her perfect body as long as it remained uncovered. She smirked at me and took a towel, slowly wrapping it around her body while she regarded me. She stepped out of the tub and dried herself with the help of magic. She did the same with my hair and watched me put my underwear, a yellow tunic and a new golden armour on.

"Is something wrong?" I asked as soon as I noticed that she was giving me a surprised look.

"It's nothing. I was just surprised that you are wearing the armour of a paladin"

"I don't like the armour of the Lich King. I would only wear it when we have to meet up with members of the Scourge. We want to convince the mortals that I'm not controlled by the Lich King. It wouldn't help if I would look like the Lich King so I decided to look more like my former self. I also like the golden colour of the shining paladin armours. The armour of the Lich King looks so ugly and depressingly sad.

"Fine. Wear it when we meet members of the Alliance and the living in general" she responded and snapped with her fingers. Suddenly, her skin glowed light-blue and fine fabric was getting attached to her body. The fabric changed and became a beautiful blue dress which would have taken my breath away if I still had to breathe. She gave me a teasing smirk and came closer to me. I turned around, not wanting to show her that her look was really impressing me. I put the rest of my armour on, then I turned back to Jaina who was regarding me with an astonished look.

"That brings back old memories" whispered Jaina quietly and brushed over my chest armour. She wrapped her arms around my neck and put her head on my massive shoulder plates. Of course, she needed to stand on her tiptoes to reach this height. I wrapped my arm around her back, supporting her so that she wouldn't slip away.

"Indeed, it does" I said quietly and regarded us in the large mirror which stood in front of the nearest wall.

"We should go before I would be overcome by self-pity" I whispered and ran my hands through her soft hair.

"You are right" she responded and stepped back from me. She gave me a small smile, then she began to create a portal. I regarded her, trying as hard as possible to not stare at her low neckline. She chuckled, when she noticed my struggle, and finished the summoning of the portal. She didn't hesitate to take my hand and drag me through the portal.

* * *

_Jaina's POV_

We arrived in a very strange place. By the first look, I would never have thought that Rhonin would live there but the locating spell had told me that he would be there. If the spell, I had used to find out Rhonin's location, had worked well, then I should find him in this weird place.

We were standing in the middle of a large building which looked more like the ruins of a once beautiful fortress than an actual place which was occupied by living creatures. The walls, the floor and even the ceiling showed visible signs of destruction. Parts of the walls were missing, a lot of holes and cracks existed in the ground and the ceiling didn't seem to be able to protect anyone from the pouring rain which was falling upon us.

The room was sparsely furnished, only a few damaged tables and chairs were standing in the room. Except for the few pieces of furniture, there was nothing at all in this room. I regarded the room closely, wondering why this hovel had been the result of the locating spell. I wasn't able to see Rhonin in this miserable place nor was I able to sense his aura. I turned my head a little, noticing that Arthas was regarding this place as well but his expression was emotionless. I made a step towards him and placed my hand on his shoulder. He turned his head a little, giving me a small. I returned the smile and regarded him for a short moment.

"What an awful place" he said quietly and made a few steps towards the other side of the room. "Are you sure that we will find Rhonin in this miserable place? I don't think that any living creature would want to stay there voluntary"

"Rhonin is not a living person anymore. Sadly, he has been killed by a member of the Scourge but he has returned as a ghost, somehow. I can't explain why he had returned in this shape but I'm more than just glad that he is still among us. It doesn't matter if he is a ghost or not. As long as his character doesn't change, everything is fine" I explained and followed him.

"Do you think that he would forgive us for what happened to him?" He didn't look at me when he asked that, he just looked straight forward as he continued to walk forward.

"I don't know. I don't think that he would refuse to work with us because he was killed by the Scourge. I think that he would support us as best as he can"

"Hopefully" he said and stopped in front of a destroyed column. He turned his head as soon as he noticed the presence of another person. I looked in the same direction, noticing Rhonin who was floating in front of the building's east wall. "Hello" he greeted and flew to us.

"Hello, Rhonin" I greeted back and gave him a small smile.

"It has been a while since we last met. Six months if I have counted correctly" he said and hugged me for a short moment.

"We had needed some time to get over the past. I didn't want to confront Arthas with too many information. He was already overtaxed with coping with his father's death and the fall of his kingdom which were caused by the Lich King's wicked plans"

"That makes sense for me. I'm curious to hear the reason why you are looking for me after these six months. I'm pretty sure that the inactivity of the Scourge means that the Lich King isn't controlling Arthas anymore. This should mean that Arthas is free. Have I interpreted that right?" he asked and gave me a questioning and, at the same time, curious look.

"Yes, you are right Rhonin. He may not be the same person anymore he once was before the events of Stratholme but on the other hand, he is not the Lich King. He has changed and became a good person again" I responded while looking at Arthas who seemed to feel a bit unwell or at least he looked that he was feeling unwell.

"I'm pretty sure that this is not a trick of you and that he isn't wearing paladin armour only to make us believe that he his someone different. I can sense that no one is controlling you, same counts for Arthas. I don't sense the aura of the Lich King on him. You don't need to explain yourself, I already believe you"

"That's good, that saves me a lot of trouble" I said happily.

"Once again, I'm asking you why are you looking for me"

"We want to convince the Alliance and the Horde that we are not their enemies. We want to make them believe that we are on their side and that we also want to destroy the Scourge and make them pay for what had happened under their reign of terror. They will pay for what they have done to Lordaeron and to Arthas, not to mention what they have done to me" I responded and put my arm around Arthas' upper body, leaning against him.

Rhonin chuckled, an almost unrecognizable happy smile appeared on his lips. "It's good to see that you are a thing again"

I didn't respond verbally, I just smiled at him while I rested my head on Arthas' shoulder. Arthas wrapped his arm around my shoulders and also looked at Rhonin but unlike me, he was a little suspicious as if he wasn't fully trusting Rhonin.

"We would be happy if you would try to convince the leaders of the Alliance to meet with us. You also have to convince them that we are not evil and not their enemies. I know that I have made a lot of terrible mistakes during the past years but I will do everything to compensate for that. I know that it would difficult to make up for all what happened under the reign of the Lich King but I will give my best and try to help as many people as I can" said Arthas with a self-confident voice which told Rhonin and I that he was meaning it seriously. His eyes and his face, in general, showed remorse, which was enough to convince Rhonin.

"Well, I can try it but I can't promise that they will listen to me" he responded.

"You have their ear, I'm pretty sure that they won't ignore you" I assured and gave him a trustful smile.

"Alright, but I may need a proof that you are really on our side"

"Tell them that thousands of ghouls and dozens of powerful necromancers hide in a cave in the near of Stormwind. They could do with the information whatever they want. But if they really want to destroy the Scourge, they should make sure that this little army won't be there any longer. We would also meet Varian and the other leaders in Stormwind City or any other capital city of the Alliance. We don't want to lure them in a trap, nor do we want to fight against them"

"You know that it will be hard for them to forgive Arthas even if they believe that he had little to do with Lordaeron an everything what happened after its fall. A lot of people still want to see them dead and I'm not sure if they want to work with any of you two. I guess they would still work with you Jaina but I don't know if they want to have Arthas in their near" he responded.

" I know that there is a chance that they would throw us in a dungeon or execute us but we have to take this risk if we want to free Azeroth from the Scourge"

"Alright, but don't say later that I didn't warn you"

"It's okay, Rhonin. Just go and speak with them"

"I will. I can't guarantee that they will meet up with you. I suggest that we would meet here again in a week"

"As you wish" I said and smiled at him. He looked at us for a few moments, then he turned around and flew away, surpassing the building's east wall as if it didn't exist.

I looked at Arthas as soon as Rhonin was not visible anymore. Arthas was giving me a thoughtful look, one of his eyebrows was raised.

"Are you sure that this is the right way to convince the Alliance that we are on their side?" he asked and put my face in his hands, rubbing my cheeks softly.

"I'm not entirely sure but I think it's the best way. I know that this way would be a risk for us but we have to take this risk if we want to get their help against the Scourge. I wish that we could order each servant of the Scourge to end its life but that wouldn't work at all. That would be too easy to be real. Kel'Thuzad and Lana'thel would know immediately that something is wrong with us if we would give this order. They would capture us and make sure that the Lich King regains control over you. You have to pretend that you are the Lich King until we have a plan for defeating the Scourge. I know that it sucks but we have no other choice" I explained quietly while I stared into his handsome face.

"I guess you are right"

"I'm always right, remember?" I giggled and leaned in for a quick kiss. He returned the kiss and put his hand on the back of my head to deepen the kiss. We didn't know how much time had passed after we had pulled away from the kiss. I could only tell that this was one of the best kisses I ever had shared with him. He gave me a small smile and stepped away from me, giving me enough space for the creation of a portal. I didn't hesitate and created a portal which was large enough for both of us. I regarded the portal one more time, recognizing that we could walk through it at the same time.

"Let's go" he said and guided me through the portal.

* * *

_Arthas' POV_

"Are you sure that we should do this?" I asked her.

"It's the only way to show the Alliance that we are not their enemies" she responded and took my hand, intertwining our fingers.

"I hope this goes well" I muttered.

"It will. Trust me" she assured and gave me a convincing smile.

"I trust you" I responded and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. She smiled happily and regarded me for a few moments before she turned around and dragged me towards the wooden door which was guarded by five soldiers of the Alliance. These soldiers were looking at us in suspicion but they didn't do anything to stop us. Jaina pushed the door opened and dragged me through it.

We came into a room which was decorated like a typical meeting room of the Alliance. Blue banners, which showed the head of a lion, hung on the walls and on the many columns which supported the ceiling. Various paintings hung on the walls and many different pieces of furniture were distributed in the room. I recognized a few shelves which were filled to the brim with books, various carpets which hung on the walls or laid on the floor and a lot of other pieces of furniture.

In the middle of the room stood a large table around which twelve chairs were placed. I had expected that the leaders of the Alliance would sit around the table but they didn't. Instead, they were standing behind the table, their arms were crossed in front of their bodies. I saw my old friend Varian Wrynn, two night elves I had never seen before, an older human who was wearing brown noble clothes and a dwarf I recognized as King Magni Bronzebeard.

I didn't know all of them but they seemed to know me because they were looking at us with mixed expressions. Varian was staring at me as if I was some sort of an abomination and the old human next to him was looking at me as if he would like to tear my head apart if he could. The night elves were making expressionless faces but I could swear that I was able to see a small amount of hope in their eyes. The female night elf seemed to look at Jaina while the male elf scrutinized me curiously.

"The traitorous bastard dares to enter the territory of the Alliance after everything he has done. We should execute him right now for all the horrible things he has done. Millions of creatures died under his terrible reign, killing him would be a good start to avenge the fallen innocent creatures" shouted the old man next to Varian aggressively. Jaina stepped in front of me, spreading her arms as if she wanted to protect me from a bullet or any other missile. I noticed that she wanted to say something but Varian was faster.

"Enough, Genn. I thought we have already agreed that we have no prejudices against him. Rhonin had assured me that Jaina thinks that he has changed, that he is not the Lich King anymore" said Varian and looked at him warningly.

"We can't trust her either because she has left the Alliance in Warsong Hold and fled with this abomination" the old man with the name Genn cried out and pointed at us accusingly.

"Stop it NOW! This is my last warning, Genn" hissed Varian and glanced at him grimly. I could see in Genn's that he was very upset about my presence but also that Varian was reprimanding him. Although he was not happy about Varian's behaviour, he listened to his orders and stopped talking. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and eyed us suspiciously.

Of course, I had expected that the living would react this way when they would see me. Their insults hurt me and caused me to feel bad and guilty. I had thought that I could handle their insults but it was the entire opposite. The only option I had was to ignore any insult as best as possible, hoping that they would stop as soon as they realize that I was not their enemy.

Jaina cleared her throat, getting everyone's attention. "I guess that it has been difficult for you to agree to come to this meeting so I'm glad that all of you are here" she said and shifted her gaze to Rhonin who came through the wall at this very moment and flew to the other members of the Alliance.

"We only agreed because Rhonin had convincing arguments. You should know that this doesn't mean that we trust you" said Varian with a strict voice and eyed me viciously. It hurt me to see him looking at me like this. We had once been best friends in the past, we had trained together and spent a lot of time together. There had been a close bond between us but it seemed to have been destroyed by my actions under the Lich King's control. He was not regarding me as a friend anymore, instead, he regarded me as if I was a threat to the Alliance and to Azeroth in general. Of course, the look he was giving me hurt me but I could also understand his behaviour. We both knew that I had been responsible for the deaths of millions. I was just hoping that he would give me the chance to make up for all the pain and sorrow I had caused.

"I know that, but I'm still glad that you are here and listen to us. That means a lot for us" Jaina responded and grabbed my hand, squeezing it softly. Varian looked at us with narrowed eyes but didn't say anything in return. He tilted his head a little, signalizing us to speak. Jaina gave me a look which was telling me that she would like to speak. I nodded and looked back at the members of the Alliance who were still looking at us with suspicion. Only the two night elves were showing real interest.

"I know that the past years had been difficult for us all..." began Jaina and made a pause, receiving slight nods from the listeners. "We have fought against the Lich King and his wicked Scourge army. We have lost battles but we have also won battles. We have lost a lot of good soldiers and territories during the last years. We have thought that all hope is lost but then the battle of Warsong Hold happened which had proved us that the hope has not forsaken us. The Lich King is no more. His control over his vessel has been broken which means that Arthas Menethil is finally free after more than a decade of involuntary service. The Scourge has been inactive for six months which proves that the Lich King is gone. We are not your enemies. On the opposite. Like you, we want to destroy the Scourge and make them pay for what they have done to the inhabitants of Azeroth"

The leaders of the Alliance were silent for a few moments but then the female night elf spoke. "I'm sure you know that it is really difficult for us to trust anyone after what had happened over the past two years. It's really difficult for us to tell who's our friend and who's our foe. We cannot be sure Arthas is really free or if this is just a trick from the Lich King. I don't want to say to you are lying Jaina but..."

"It's hard for you to trust anyone. I can understand that, Tyrande. I have been suspicious at first but I have spent a lot of time with Arthas. I have come to the conclusion that this man is not the Lich King. He is free from any influence and he would do everything to make up for what happened while the Lich King had controlled him. I know that my words only sound like assertions which are hard to prove but you have to believe me that I'm speaking the truth. I'm not under the Lich King's control neither is Arthas. You could also put us through a truth test if you want. It's up to you" responded Jaina and squeezed my hand harder, giving the members of the Alliance a pleading look.

"Alright, Jaina. We will make this truth test with both of you but we will separate you if that's okay for you" said Varian and eyed us curiously.

Jaina looked at me, an eyebrow raised, receiving a simple nod from me. Jaina looked back at Varian and replied "We agree but you have to promise us that you won't hurt Arthas or lock him in prison while I'm not around. I insist that you lock us up together if we have to go to prison. I have to tell you that this would be a mistake because we want to help you. But in the end, it's your decision what you do with us"

"I'm glad that you are intending to support us. I may not believe what you are saying but if it turns out to be the truth, we would consider working with you. Otherwise, we would be forced to lock you up and never let you out. So, I'm asking you this one question before we really start. Do you really want to do this and do you agree that you accept our judgment which will depend on the results of the tests?" asked Varian.

"I want to do this" said Jaina with a confident look on her face. Varian's gaze shifted to me. "And you?" he asked with a frown.

"If Jaina wants to do this, then I will do this test too. I have nothing to hide" I responded and gave him a confident look.

"Alright, separate them and bring them to the interrogation chambers" ordered Varian. The guards didn't hesitate and walked to us, resting their hands on our shoulders and dragging us towards the room's exit. I showed them that I was not fearing anything and that I was not afraid of doing this test. I was also clearly showing that I had nothing to hide. My gaze rested on Jaina while the soldiers dragged me away from her. They were not very gentle and pushed me through the long corridor until we came to its end. I turned my head, catching a last glimpse of Jaina before she was brought through a door at the other end of the corridor.

One of the soldiers opened the door while the rest of them pushed me through the entrance. They were looking at me with grim expressions when they entered the room.

The room was very small, only a table and a few chairs stood in its middle. The soldiers didn't even ask me to take a seat. Instead, they brought me to a chair and forced me to sit down. I was making an expressionless face, knowing that giving them a grim look only would make things worse. I was hoping that they were treating Jaina better than they were treating me. I wouldn't forgive them if they would treat her like that. Jaina didn't deserve to be treated like a prisoner. She had done nothing wrong whereas I had done a lot wrong. If someone should be punished then it should be me and not her.

I sat there for a while, not knowing how much time had passed when the door behind me finally opened. I turned around, noticing that Varian and the female night elf, Jaina had addressed as Tyrande, had entered the room. Next to them stood a gnome with blonde hair and golden robes. She was half my size but I knew better than anyone that people shouldn't be judged by their looks. Somehow, I knew that this little gnome was a very powerful mage.

The gnome ran around the table and climbed on top of the chair so that her head was on the same height as mine. "Hello, I'm Chromie" the gnome's high-pitched voice sounded. "I'm here to put the truth spell on you and make sure that it works correctly".

My response was a simple nod, which told her that I was ready. She lifted her tiny hands in the air and cast a spell. The spell caused that a magical orb appeared out of nowhere. The orb had a grey colour and was hovering above the table top between Chromie and me.

"This sphere will change its colour whenever you say something. Green means that you are speaking the truth, red means that you are lying and yellow means that you have forgotten to mention something" she explained.

"So, this orb reads my thoughts or how does this work?

"Yeah, you can say that this orb reads your thoughts. It also checks your reactions. The signals your body is giving us don't mean a lot because you are undead, meaning your pulse wouldn't beat faster or your hands wouldn't tremble when you would be lying. It's hard to judge the truth of your words only by your reactions, that's why we use magic and this special orb" she explained and cast another spell.

"Tell me when you are ready" the gnome's high-pitched voice sounded.

"I'm ready" I said and looked at Varian. I noticed that he was staring at me but I didn't return the staring. Instead, I looked back at Chromie who was writing something on a sheet of paper.

"Alright, let's start with an easy question. Who are you?"

"I am Arthas Menethil, crown prince of Lordaeron and son of Terenas II" I responded as if it was the simplest answer in the world. I glanced at the orb, my eyes widened in surprise when I noticed its yellow colour.

"What? It's the truth, we all know it" I shouted out and looked at Varian. Then I looked at Chromie, showing her my surprise about the test's result.

"Hmm... this is very weird. Maybe you should be careful about your wording. Such orbs can be very pernickety" she responded and rubbed her chin with her tiny hand.

"Are you serious?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, I am"

"Fine. Whatever. I am Arthas Menethil and I was the crown prince of Lordaeron before its fall" I responded and looked at the orb. I frowned when I noticed that the orb's colour hasn't changed. I looked at Chromie whose look was telling me that she had no clue what was going on.

"Well, maybe I have to modify this orb a little" she said quietly and held her hands above the orb. She muttered a few words, obviously casting a spell. "Try it again but say a bit more this time"

I smiled weakly and closed my eyes for a moment. I opened them and responded "My name is Arthas Menethil, son of Terenas Menethil and former crown prince of Lordaeron. I was the Lich King's vessel until Jaina had freed me". I would have exhaled in relief if I would have been alive when I noticed the positive colour change of the orb. Being undead meant that I didn't need to breathe which meant that no air was in my lungs which could have been exhaled.

"At least it works. Now we can finally start this test" said Tyrande and continued to regard us with interest.

"Let's continue with a more interesting question. Do you regret the events of the past years?" asked Chromie.

"Of course, I do. I regret everything. I regret having broken up with Jaina during Winter's Veil a long time ago. I regret purging Stratholme and I regret that I have taken this cursed blade which had turned me into a monster. I wish I could undo the events of the past, especially the annihilation of my kingdom and the death of my father. Sadly, I cannot undo what I have done" I responded and looked again at the orb which maintained its green glowing colour.

"Are you trying to trick us?"

"Of course not. I want to make up for everything that had happened under the Lich King's terrible reign"

"He is speaking the truth" statemented Tyrande and gave me a small, hardly recognizable, smile.

"Indeed, he does" muttered Varian and continued to look at me with crossed arms while he leaned against the opposite wall.

"Are you seeking for vengeance?" asked Varian and regarded me with narrowed eyes. That was a very good question indeed. Was I? Was I looking for vengeance? Did I want to let the Scourge pay for what they have done to me and the people I love and had once loved? It didn't end well for me the last time where I have sought for vengeance. This time, I will make sure that I will control my anger and my thirst of vengeance. I won't make the same mistakes twice.

"I won't deny that I'm angry at the Scourge and the Cult of the Damned but this time I will give my best to restrain my anger. I can't promise that I will be able to ignore my thirst of vengeance but I will do everything to keep a cool head" I responded and stared at the orb, noticing that it still glowed green but the intensity of the colour was a bit weaker than before.

"The green colour is a bit different but he is speaking the truth" said Chromie.

"Are you sure that this orb is not manipulated? Are you sure that this is legit?" asked Varian.

"It is legit, your majesty. I have checked everything before I have started this test. I have even tested him if someone or something is controlling him or influencing him. It turned out that nothing is rigged. The orb works perfectly"

"I see" Varian muttered. It was obvious that he was not pleased about the test's currently outcome.

"I told you that I'm not evil. I'm not your enemy, I don't want to betray you. I just want to help you to get rid of the Scourge" I said with a self-confident and assuring voice. I looked at Varian, signalizing him that I was meaning it serious.

"Assuming that we manage to defeat the Scourge, what would you do? Would you reclaim the ruins of Lordaeron as yours, because of your birthright?" asked Varian, his eyes showed that he was very interested in hearing the answer to this certain question.

"No... I wouldn't do that. I lost this right when I killed my own father and doomed my people" I responded and stared at my hands while I continued speaking, not hiding my sad mood and the grieve I was feeling at this very moment. "I'm responsible for the death of my father and my people. I know that the Lich King had controlled me and forced me to do this but that doesn't change anything, for me at least. In the end, my hands did all of this. I'm not sure if I will ever be able to forgive myself, not to mention that I'm not sure if the people, who had suffered because of me, will ever forgive me. I will accept the consequences for my actions but for now, I will do everything that would be necessary to defeat the Scourge" I responded, my voice sounded very emotional.

"Once again he is telling the truth" announced Chromie.

"This cannot be real. The orb never shows the red colour. I'm pretty sure it's broken" said Varian, the doubt in his voice couldn't be missed.

"Fine, then I will prove that the orb works correctly by saying something that is absolutely wrong. I have never loved Jaina Proudmoore. See, the orb has turned read" I announced with a confident smile on my lips and pointed at the orb.

"You have to accept that he is speaking the truth, King Varian" spoke Tyrande and placed her hands on the shoulders of the King of Stormwind. She gave him a small smile, receiving a weak smile and a frown in return.

"He may speak the truth but that doesn't mean that I would like to work with him"

"I can understand you but you will need Jaina's and my help if you want to defeat the Scourge, King Varian"

"You are right... Once again. I don't want to admit it but you are right. We have no other choice than trusting you. Hopefully, you won't disappoint us" whispered Varian and closed his eyes, exhaling slowly. He opened his eyes and stared at me. He did that for a while until Tyrande cleared her throat and brought him back to reality.


	22. Promises

_Jaina's POV_

I regarded the green glowing orb, a satisfied smile sneaked on my lips. I leaned against the chair's back, stretching my legs out as wide as possible while I regarded the persons in front of me. Malfurion was sitting in the middle, next to him sat Genn Greymane and Magni Bronzebeard. Rhonin was floating behind them and was making sure that the orb worked correctly.

They had asked me a lot of questions about myself, my motives, my plans and other important topics. I had answered all of their questions honestly, meaning that the orb's colour hadn't changed at all. It had only changed a few times to orange when I have forgotten to mention minor details. Other than that, the orb's colour had never changed.

The leaders of the Alliance looked at me happily and satisfied by the test's outcome. "I told you that she is on our side. I told you that we can trust her" Rhonin announced happily and wrapped his ghostly arm around the shoulders of his wife who was standing next to him.

"I know, Rhonin. I know. You don't need to tell us five times that you have believed her from the first second" responded Vereesa and unfolded her arms which she had crossed in front of her chest. She walked past the table and approached me, throwing her arms around my neck and pulling me in a tight hug. "I'm so glad that you are not on the Lich King's side" she whispered and kissed my cheek softly. I rubbed her back softly and gave her a small smile in return.

"Alright ladies, I think that we should go to the others and find out the results of Arthas' test" suggested King Magni. His dwarven accent was clearly hearable.

"You heard him, let's leave this room as fast as possible. Jaina is not a criminal, she doesn't need to be in this room any longer" responded Rhonin and flew towards the room's exit. We followed him and left this room behind us. He showed everyone how happy he was when he guided us through the long corridor to Varian's large office.

Arthas and the others were already standing in front of it, waiting for us. Arthas' lips formed a smile when he noticed me. He jogged over to me and put his arm around my waist, pulling me closer. I wrapped my own arm around his hips, ignoring the mixed feelings in the spectator's faces. I noticed that Vereesa and Rhonin were regarding us with satisfied smiles on their lips while Genn looked at us suspiciously with narrowed eyes and a frown on his forehead.

Varian cleared his throat and spoke "All persons except Jaina and Arthas will enter my office with me. We will speak about the results of the tests and make a choice. You will wait here until we invite you to come in"

"As you wish, Varian" I responded and gave him a small nod. He smiled weakly and opened the office door, inviting everyone else to come in. They entered the office one by one until Arthas, I and a few guards were the only ones who were still standing in the corridor. I rested my head on Arthas' shoulder, closing my eyes when his cold hand stroked my cheek. I forgot everything around me except him at this very moment where I was enjoying his gentle touch.

I opened my eyes when I heard Vereesa's quiet voice. I didn't know how much time had passed since I had closed them but for me, it had felt like hours. I saw Vereesa who was standing right in front of me and regarded me with interest.

"Come one, sleepy sheep. We are waiting for you" she said and took my hand, almost dragging me to the room's entrance. I didn't resist and let her pull me into the room. She guided me to three empty chairs, next to the spot where Rhonin was hovering above the ground. She sat next to her husband, signalizing me to take a set directly next to her. I didn't hesitate and sat down, expecting that Arthas would sit to my left. This time, I didn't lean against him nor did I rest my head on his shoulders because this would be inappropriate at this moment.

Varian was sitting behind his deck, arms crossed in front of his chest. "We needed more time than we had expected for discussing our way of proceeding" he started, eying every attending person before he continued.

"I know that we all have different opinions about Arthas, the Lich King, Jaina and her decisions. I know that a few of you are doubting that they have changed. A few of us doubt that they can become better persons. I want to tell you, Jaina and Arthas, that not everyone in this room agrees with my decisions. I'm not going to tell names but remember that not everyone in this room would forgive your actions that easily. But in the end, everyone has agreed that he would like to see the Scourge gone no matter what it costs. Sometimes the right thing has to be done although not everyone would like it. So, we have decided to spare you if you help us to defeat the Scourge once and forever. I'm only asking you this once. Do you swear that you will never betray us and fight on our side against the Scourge until the very end?"

"In the name of my mother, I swear that I would never betray you and fight with you until the Scourge is gone forever" I said, staring into Varian's green-blue eyes. Varian gave me a thankful nod, then he turned his head a little and looked at Arthas. I also looked at Arthas, wondering what he would say.

"I swear in the name of my deceased father and my former kingdom that I won't betray you. I know that my word has only little meaning because a lot of people regard me as a traitor but I want to prove them wrong and show them that I will do every necessary step to wipe out the Scourge. I allow you to execute me immediately if I betray you again but that won't be necessary because I'm not going to betray any of you" he responded and gave us a look which convinced everyone that he was dead serious about this.

"Good, then we should discuss how we proceed" said Varian and leaned back, resting his hands on the armrests of his armchair.

"Actually, we have two options" I said and paused for a moment. I regarded Varian's curious face for a short moment before I continued. "If we really want to purge every single servant of the Scourge, we have to consider that it would take years if not even decades to do so. Not to mention that a lot of creatures will lose their lives. We could try to keep control over the Scourge and force them to do nothing at all. They will remain in Icecrown and won't harm anyone. This way, we wouldn't lose a lot of lives and we don't need to waste our time fighting against them. Not to mention the many resources which would be used during such a war"

The other present persons started to discuss my suggestion with quiet voices. Their voice became louder over time, mixed feelings were reflected by their faces. Tyrande, Vereesa and their husbands were unsure about my suggestion while Greymane was outraged. He wasn't believing that I have made this suggestion.

"This is bullshit. She wants to protect the Scourge because she still feels a connection to them. The test was rigged. She doesn't want to work with us, she is still working for the Scourge" he cried out and jumped up. I saw it in his eyes that he wanted to jump on me and bite my head off if he could. Fortunately, Malfurion and Rhonin were holding him back.

"I'm not working for the Scourge. How often do I have to repeat that? No, I'm only making this suggestion because I'm thinking about the numerous lives which would be sacrificed if we really want to annihilate the Scourge. We could save a lot of lives and time if you would allow Arthas and me to try to control the Scourge. Of course, you could oversee us and tell us what to do" I explained and gave Genn a convincing look. He ignored me and looked at Varian as if he was asking for his help. But Varian remained silent and signalized us to speak further.

This time Arthas began to speak. "I know that it's hard for you to trust me after all that had happened in the past. You have to believe that I would do everything to make myself useful. Of course, I would fight for you against the Scourge but I have to admit that Jaina is right. We would waste a lot of lives, resources and years of time if we end the Scourge by fighting until no evil undead creature is left. Not to mention that a victory is not guaranteed. It wouldn't be easier at all but we could save a lot if we manage to control the Scourge"

"Even if we agree on that, what proves us that you can control the Scourge forever? As far as we know, you have lost Frostmourne. The Helm of Domination is also gone which means that it would be pretty hard for you to control the Scourge forever. The servants of the Scourge will break out of your control sooner or later and go on a rampage. They will invade other lands and randomly attack villages, citizens and random passengers. They would become a large threat for the people. You already know that we cannot allow that" responded Malfurion.

I didn't hesitate and formulated an answer. "I've already considered that. We have to find Frostmourne and make sure that it won't corrupt its carrier. We will use the necromantic power which is concentrated in the blade to control the Scourge. We will make sure that they will never attack the inhabitants of Azeroth again. If you don't trust Arthas then you can give Frostmourne to me or to a volunteer you can trust. Whoever wields this cursed blade will make sure that the Scourge will be as harmless as a young kitten"

"So, this would only work if we manage to take the curse from this blade which will be very difficult, not to mention that my sister has it. I'm pretty sure that she won't give it to you. I'm sure that she wouldn't give it to us either, even if she doesn't know that you will be working with us. We don't even know it this sword still exists or if she had already destroyed it" said Vereesa and looked at me.

"I don't think that she has destroyed it. Destroying Frostmourne would mean that millions of souls would be released. These souls would be a danger for every single creature on Azeroth. They would attack everyone in their near. No, she wouldn't have taken this risk. I rather think that she has locked it away and hopes that Arthas would come to her one day and try to get it back. She hopes that she can kill him if he tries that" I responded.

"Even if she hasn't destroyed it, there is still no way that Sylvanas would give the sword to anyone. Especially not to us when she finds out that you and Arthas are on our side. Of course, you could try to negotiate with her. But unlike us, she wouldn't listen to your arguments, even if they sound logical. We could try it as well but we know better than anyone else that its always difficult to negotiate with the Banshee Queen"

I looked at the one who had spoken "I know that it will be difficult, Varian. It will be a challenge to make her listen. My suggestion is that we try to get Frostmourne. If we won't get it, then our only choice is to wipe out the Scourge no matter what it will cost"

I looked in everyone's faces, wanting to know their opinion about my suggestion. They didn't seem to be convinced by the idea at first but the longer they thought about it, the more they got convinced by the idea - At least everyone except Genn and Magni. Genn was against the idea but Magni didn't accept it, nor did he reject the idea. He was unsure about this idea and any other idea.

"I guess we should think about Jaina's suggestion for a few days. We will meet again in three days and then we decided if we try to fully control the Scourge or if we purge them" announced Varian and stood up immediately. The others stood up as well and gave him agreeing nods. Only Genn didn't share the opinion of the others. He regarded his friend with angry and narrowed eyes but didn't say anything. I ignored the dangerous look Genn was giving me and took Arthas' hand, walking out of the office with him.

* * *

We met again three days later in Varian's office. This time, Arthas and I were sitting on the rightmost chairs, meaning the others sat to our left. As usual, Varian was sitting on his chair behind his decks and was regarding us all.

"We have discussed a while until we have found a solution which was accepted by most members of this little council. We know that this could be a risk but we would try to get the Scourge under control" announced Varian and looked at me with an expecting look on his face.

"I'm glad to hear that" I responded, giving him a small smile.

"Is there a possibility where we can control the Scourge without needing to have Frostmourne?" he asked curiously.

"I don't think so. I don't think there is another possible option to control the Scourge, at least not forever. We have crafted a non-cursed runeblade in Icecrown which keeps the undead under our control but only for limited time. I don't know how long we will able to stop the Scourge from attacking the living but I'm pretty sure that we won't be able to control them forever. We need Frostmourne if we want to make sure that the Scourge will remain harmless" I explained, making a serious face to signalize everyone that I was not joking.

"Then you also know that my sister would never give it to you voluntarily. I also think that negotiations with her won't be possible, she won't negotiate with us about the sword, especially not if she finds out that you are on our side" said Vereesa.

"I know, that's why we have to purloin it from her"

"You mean that we have to steal it, right?"

"Yes"

"That's very risky" said Vereesa and gave me a worried look.

"Indeed, it is" said Rhonin. "The Horde will declare war on us if they find out that we have taken Frostmourne"

"Then we have to make her believe that members of the Scourge took it. We should send the best rogues of the Scourge to Undercity. We could also send a few agents of the SI:7 which are disguised as undead creatures. They will replace Frostmourne with a fake and bring the original to us. Then we will remove the curse from it and choose someone who will wield it and control the Scourge" I responded, looking at them with a self-confident expression on my face. I was believing in this plan and I was showing it as best as I could.

"Hmm, I'm not sure if that's the best plan to get it back..." doubted Varian quietly, making a thoughtful face.

"Would you rather try to negotiate with the Banshee Queen or do you want to waste numerous lives and resources in an unnecessary war? As soon as we lose our control over the Scourge, Kel'Thuzad and Blood Queen Lana'thel will take over the Scourge as long as the Lich King is absent. They will mobilize the remaining forces of the Scourge and plan another war campaign against us. We have to gain full control over them if we want to make them harmless"

"Have you thought about ordering the servants of servants of the Scourge to commit suicide? You could order them to walk in a burning area. You could also lure Lana'thel and Kel'Thuzad into a trap and kill them quickly. Have you thought about that?" asked Tyrande, an eyebrow raised when she looked at me.

"We have thought about it but we had come to the conclusion that the leadership of the Scourge is too smart to walk into a trap. Kel'Thuzad and Lana'thel would foresee our plan, especially because they keep an eye on us since we returned to the citadel and told them that we had lost Frostmourne. They don't trust us anymore. They are the only ones we cannot control with our provisional runeblade. They are doubting us but they are following us as long as we let the Scourge do something which makes sense for them" spoke Arthas.

"And doing nothing makes sense for them?" asked Tyrande. Doubt was clearly recognizable by her voice and in her eyes. It was the first time where she doubted one of my statements.

"Not at all, but they tolerate it because I have promised them that I have a big plan. It's only a matter of time when they will turn against us and try to dethrone us. We have to get Frostmourne before that can happen or we will have a big problem" said Arthas, making a serious face. He was squeezing my hand a bit too roughly but I ignored it because the pain was still bearable.

"So, you really want to steal it?" asked Varian, looking at us as if he was trying to figure out what was going on in our minds.

"Yes, that would be our suggestion" I spoke, looking in Varian's eyes and signalizing him that I was dead serious about this.

"Well, I also think that negotiating with Sylvanas would lead us to nowhere. I think that only Vereesa herself would be able to reach her sister but that wouldn't be enough to convince her to give us Frostmourne, even if we tell her that we found a way to destroy the Scourge with Frostmourne's help. She would rather try it herself without including us in her plans" admitted Varian.

"You are right. My sister is too stubborn to listen to us even if we are right. Not to mention that Dark Ranger Velonara trusts us even less than Sylvanas does. Even if I would find a way to convince Sylvanas, Velonara would convince Sylvanas that she cannot trust us. She only needs to take off a piece of clothing and Sylvanas would be influenced by her.

"I'm doubting that it would work like this but I agree that the Banshee Queen is getting influenced by her lover all the time" commented Malfurion.

"Alright, who votes for the idea to steal Frostmourne?" asked Varian, looking at us and starting to count the raised arms. Everyone except Genn had raised one's arm.

"So, you would rather like to talk with the Banshee Queen?" I asked Genn, forming my lips to a provocative smirk.

"I would rather fight the undead than working with them. Also, I don't think that it is a good idea to provoke the Banshee Queen. We don't know what she is capable of so we shouldn't get on her bad side. We have a huge problem if this evil elf finds out that we have taken Frostmourne"

"My sister is not evil. She is just misunderstood. I don't know what she has become but she definitely doesn't belong to the Scourge. She is different. Deep inside her, behind shrouds of hatred and grieve, is still the good Sylvanas I had once known. I'm pretty sure that she still has a good side, she just doesn't show it very often. She is definitely not our enemy"

"Whatever she is or not doesn't matter right now. We have to make sure we manage to steal Frostmourne without Sylvanas noticing that we took it. We will have a huge problem if she does..." intervened Varian before the discussion would drift off in the wrong direction.

"We have to discuss how many rogues of the Scourge and how many agents of the SI:7, who are disguised as servants of the Scourge, we will send. We also have to discuss when the mission will be carried out" he added.

The discussion lasted for a while but came to an agreement in the end. We decided that the five best rogues of the Scourge and the best mages of the Alliance will be sent to Undercity as soon as we had found where Sylvanas was hiding the cursed runeblade. Our best spies will search through Undercity, hopefully without getting caught. Meanwhile, we will try to create another runeblade, hoping that it would have enough power to control the Scourge for a while if the plan would fail.

Every single person left Varian's office as soon as the meeting was over. Vereesa and Rhonin wished us luck and reminded us to be careful. I thanked her and hugged her, pressing a quick kiss on her forehead. We bid goodbye to the others, everyone but Genn said goodbye in return. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and gave us a distrustful look. I waited until everyone had walked away, then I created a portal and walked with Arthas through it.

Weeks passed were nothing important happened. We were still staying in Icecrown, doing our best to control the Scourge with this provisional runeblade. We had created another, much stronger runeblade but it also wouldn't be enough to control the Scourge forever. Without the Helm of Domination or Frostmourne, it was hard to control them at all and it got worse with each passing day. Sometimes, Arthas had needed to focus his entire strength to prevent that the Scourge would go on a rampage and attack every living creature which lived in Northrend. Sometimes, it was a lot easier to control them so that we allowed ourselves to relax and spent a little amount of time together.

Arthas and I had grown closer over the weeks. We didn't sleep together yet because we didn't want to rush things but we had held hands and shared kisses more often than before. I was very happy to have him back. He was not the same man anymore with who I had fallen in love with but he was not evil anymore and would do anything to protect me. Sometimes, I noticed parts of the once innocent paladin in him. The paladin who had been only fooling about simple things when I had been around. It was good to see that this side still existed in him. It was good to know that the man I had fallen in love with hadn't been fully destroyed by the Lich King. Most of the time, Arthas pretended that he was the Lich King, especially when we walked through the corridors of Icecrown Citadel. Only when we were alone in his room, he was able to be himself.

We received a letter one day. Although there was no wax stamp which sealed the envelope, I knew somehow that this was a letter from the Alliance. I took the letter out of the hands of the undead massager and ordered him to leave Arthas and me alone. The skeleton bowed to me and walked out of Arthas' chamber, closing the door behind him.

I didn't hesitate and walked to Arthas, finding him standing on the balcony. He was leaning on the railing and was regarding the snow-covered area of Northrend. I didn't say anything, I just stepped next to him and wrapped my arm around his back. He turned his head to me, giving me a small smile.

"A message from the Alliance has just arrived" I spoke.

"What's written in it?" he asked.

"I don't know. I haven't opened it yet"

"Alright, then let's find it out together" he responded, taking the envelope out of my hand and opening it. He pulled the letter out of it and unfolded it, reading it carefully. I read the letter too, finding out that the Alliance had managed to steal Frostmourne and replaced it with a fake so that Sylvanas wouldn't recognize that it's gone.

"This sounds good. Now we have to find a way to cleanse Frostmourne from the curse. I don't want to see that it corrupts your mind again. I don't want to lose you again" I whispered and put Arthas' face in my hands, caressing his cheeks softly.

"Don't worry about me, Jaina. I won't turn into this evil entity again. The Lich King is not a part of me anymore and with purging Frostmourne we will make sure that he will never return"

"You know that we have to stay there forever if our plan works, right? We can only control the Scourge from this citadel" I said and stared into his handsome eyes, giving him a worried look.

"I know. I have to admit, that I haven't thought a lot about our future. I have always imagined that we would stay together forever but I haven't imagined that we would live together in this sad place, to be honest" he whispered and ran his fingers through my hair.

"I know, Arthas. I know. I have never imagined this place either but we have no other choice if we want to make sure that the living creatures on Azeroth are safe"

"It's sad that this is my legacy. We have to live there forever"

"It's OUR legacy Arthas. Don't forget to include me. I will always be with you, no matter what will happen. We will carry this burden together. Lordaeron belongs to the Forsaken now and I doubt that Sylvanas would leave it to you. There are many other, better fitting places for us. I can imagine a few dozen places where I would like to live with you. Icecrown is not among them but we have to deal with it. It doesn't matter where we are as long as we are together" I responded and wrapped my arms around his strong shoulders, leaning my head against his chest. I closed my eyes, feeling the soft fabric which covered his upper body. His cold fingers ran through my hair and toyed with my locks. I smiled, keeping my eyes shut.

"We withstand it TOGETHER" he said and caressed my neck.

"Yes, we will" I said quietly and sneaked my hand under his tunic, caressing his well-defined upper body. "Is it only me or have you become even sexier than you already were since you have become a death knight?" I asked quietly and stroked his stomach muscles with my greedy hands.

He smirked at me but didn't respond verbally to my question. Instead, he asked "Shouldn't we meet up with Varian and the others?"

"Yes, we should but I would like to stay here with you for a few more minutes"

"Fine, but only a few minutes" he responded and gave me a wide smile.

"I'm fine with that" I responded and began to kiss his neck softly.

* * *

_Arthas' POV_

"Here we are" I announced as Jaina and I entered Varian's office. Varian and his guests from the previous meetings were standing around his desk and were looking at something. I couldn't see what it was because Genn Greymane and Malfurion were standing in my field of vision. The night elf was giving me an impassive look while the worgen was looking at me distastefully. I ignored Greymane and looked at Varian whose face reflected curiosity. Jaina didn't hesitate and went to Tyrande and Vereesa, hugging them quickly. I walked to the right side of Varian's desk so that I was able to see the expected item.

Indeed, it was the sword about which Jaina had told me a lot. The sword which had corrupted me and had forced me to do unspeakable and unforgivable things. This weapon was responsible for my father's death and the annihilation of my kingdom. I regarded the sword, showing everyone my dislike and rejection for Frostmourne.

"Now, you got your favourite sword back, _crown prince._ Hopefully, you won't murder an entire kingdom and its king again" Greymane spat out, signalizing his dislike for me once again.

"It's enough, Genn" hissed Varian, putting a hand on the man's shoulder and pulling him closer until their faces were only a few inches away. "You will stop insulting and despising Arthas Menethil from now. That's an order. Is that clear?" he asked and stared in his friend's eyes with an angry expression on his face.

"Of course, your majesty" said Genn quietly and stepped away as soon as Varian had released him. At least, he wasn't giving me furious looks anymore but only because he wasn't looking at me anymore.

"First of all, I regret what I have done under Frostmourne's control. I don't want to be the Lich King's puppet again so I hope that we find a way to remove the curse. I don't need to wield it if you don't trust me. You could choose someone else to carry this burden but I don't think that someone would volunteer to do it" I said.

"We need to take off the curse first before we can discuss who will be its new owner. There is no guarantee that we can remove the curse" spoke Rhonin and came closer to the table, regarding the sword closely. I was wondering if he had noticed something that we hadn't but he wasn't saying anything so I assumed that he hadn't noticed anything extraordinary.

"So, we should gather your best mages, priests, shamans and other spellcasters who could help us to cleanse this sword from its curse" announced Varian.

"Yes, we should do that" said Jaina. She walked to me, took my hand and looked at me. I nodded quickly, signalizing her that I was alright. She returned the nod and turned around, looking at everyone else who was regarding us curiously. "I will inform the best mages I know but I need to speak with you Varian before I do that. Alone if you don't mind"

Varian was giving her a curious look but he agreed to her offer and signalized everyone to leave the office. I was wondering what she wanted to discuss with him. I squeezed her hand softly and placed a quick kiss on her left cheek. She gave me a small smile, her beautiful eyes told me that she was already missing me. I returned the smile and stroked her back softly, signalizing her that I would wait for her before I left the room with everyone else.

* * *

Jaina's POV

"What do you want to talk about?" asked Varian and took a seat behind his desk, resting his arms on the table top.

"I want to talk about Vissia. You have captured her soul in this stone during the battle of Warsong Hold. I was wondering if she is still in this prison or if you have already freed her" I responded and sat down on one of these chairs.

"I was asking myself when you will approach me about this. I have thought that you have forgotten it. It was strange for me that you hadn't come earlier and asked about her. She was one of your best friends if I remember correctly" he said with an amused smile on his lips.

"She still is one of my best friends. Although Selania has murdered her for no reason, she is not fully gone. She is a spirit like Rhonin, she may not have her body anymore but she is still able to move around and live as far as her ghostly body allows it" I told him. "So, where is she?" I asked, giving him an expecting look. He knew, without needing to look at me twice, that I wanted to hear an answer.

"She is staying with Rhonin in this abandoned temple which we had started to rebuild so that the spirits can have _a real home_. To be honest, it still looks more like a ruin than a habitable building"

"Can I visit her there?" I asked curiously.

"Yes, you can but I wouldn't go with Arthas to this place. I'm not sure if these souls, ghost, shades or however you want to call them already have forgiven him. The Soul Collector had murdered a lot of innocent people and had taken their souls in the Lich King's name. They have many reasons to not be happy about Arthas' presence. Also, I'm pretty sure that they would not understand that Arthas is not the Lich King. They will regard him as the one who destroyed their lives. That's why I'm suggesting that he shouldn't get close to them"

"Do you think that they would attack him? Rhonin has told me that he has them under control. They wouldn't do anything without his command" I spoke out, looking at Varian with signs of worry on my face. I raised an eyebrow, waiting for his response.

"Well, the shades could get very angry when they see Arthas. I'm not sure if Rhonin would be strong enough to control an entire army of very angry shades. That doesn't mean that this has to happen but the chances are pretty high and I don't want that you or Arthas would get hurt"

"You are right. I don't want to risk that either. Fine, I will go alone while Arthas stays with you. Just make sure that Greymane doesn't do anything stupid. I know he's your friend but I still have a bad feeling about him. Something is telling me that we have to be careful about him" I said, giving him another worried look.

"We all have noticed that he has a serious dislike for Arthas. I understand that you are worried but you don't need to. I've known Genn for some time and I don't think that he would attack Arthas on his own. But I will speak with him to make sure that he keeps his promise and don't hurt or insult Arthas" he assured and smiled at me. I smiled back, nodding my head.

"Thank you, Varian"

"No problem, Jaina. I'm glad that you have left the days as a member of the Scourge behind you. I'm glad that you are on our side and fight with us. I don't know if I could ever fight against you or even kill you... I'm just glad that I don't have to fight you and I hope that I would never have too" he said, his voice became quieter with each word he spoke.

I stood up and walked around the table. I put my arms around his neck and hugged him from behind. "I promise you that I won't turn against you and the Alliance. I would rather die than serve the Scourge again. I will never raise my wand against you. Never ever. I promise this in the name of my family and in the name of the love of my life, Arthas Menethil" I said and put a quick kiss on his left cheek. I stepped away from him, a small smile appeared on my lips when I noticed the barely visible blush on his face.

"I'm glad to hear that" he said, regarding his hands nervously.

I remained silent for a few minutes, regarding Varian while I debated if I should ask him for this one favour. Varian had tilted his head a little and regarded me, wondering what was going on in my mind.

"Is something wrong, Jaina?" he asked as he stood up and approached me.

"Well... I have to ask you for a favour..." I said quietly and stared at my fingernails.

"Tell me, Jaina. What can I do for you?"

"You need to promise me that you will end my life if our plan backfires. You need to kill me and destroy my body if the Scourge manages to get control over Arthas and me. I don't want to be controlled by them again. You know that you won't be able to stop the Scourge if Arthas and I belong to them again. The best thing is that we transplant a bomb in my body which you could blow up if the Scourge gets me" I said with a strong and self-confident voice. I looked into Varian's eyes, signalizing him that this was not a joke, that I was dead serious about this.

"Are you sure? Are you really serious?" he asked with a much higher pitched voice. I didn't miss the massive amount of confusion which was written all over his face. He wasn't believing that I had just said that.

"I'm not joking" I responded with a monotonous voice.

"Wow... I have never thought that you would choose death over living under the Scourge's command"

"Living is the wrong word in this context. The reason for that is not because I'm an undead creature. The Scourge controls you and forces you to do things you would never imagine to do. I don't want to fight against my family, my friends and against the Alliance in general. The Scourge will win against the living if Arthas and I serve them again. We can't be sure that our little experiment with Frostmourne works out. If it backfires, then I want to make sure that I won't become a mindless servant of the Scourge. I don't care about my own life. I just want you to promise me that you would do that AND that you would spare Arthas and imprison him somewhere where no servant of the Scourge will reach him. He has to live, even if he is in a special room. You have to keep him alive and treat him well. That is the second favour I'm asking of you"

Varian was silent for a few moments, staring at his feet while he thought about my speech. He remained silent for almost half an hour, giving me the impression that he was lost in thoughts.

But then he seemed to be back in reality. He cleared his throat and looked at me. "I promise that, Jaina. I promise in the name of the Alliance and in the name of my son that I will prevent that the Scourge manages to get you and put you under their control, even if I have to burn your body"

"Thank you, Varian. This means a lot for me" I whispered and hugged him. He returned the hug and we kept standing like this for a few moments before we pulled away.

"I hope this would never happen but I will promise that I make sure that the Scourge won't get you again"

I nodded to him and walked to the door, saying goodbye before I left the room.


	23. The cursed runeblade

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have allowed myself to change/add a few things about Frostmourne. I hope you don't mind these changes.
> 
> I'm hoping that the last scene of this chapter is not too confusion. Please tell me if its understandable or not.
> 
> Rate and comment this story if you like it.

_Jaina's POV_

My eyes lightened up and my lips formed a happy smile when I came out of Varian's office and saw the love of my life leaning against the wall, arms crossed in front of his chest. He returned the smile and approached me. I wrapped my arms around his neck, placing a soft kiss on his cheek.

"There you are. What were you talking about?" he asked and caressed the back of my head.

"We were talking about a friend of mine who I haven't seen for a while. Varian just told me where she is" I responded. I felt bad that I was not telling him everything but I saw no other option than keeping the favour as a secret. I didn't want that Arthas would worry about me and be afraid that I would lose my life. I knew that he would be upset if he finds out that I had asked Varian to kill me if the Scourge gets us. Of course, I didn't really know if this would ever happen. I just wanted to be prepared for everything. I didn't want to join the Scourge ever again.

"A friend hm? So, will you meet her?" he asked curiously and put his right arm around my waist, pulling me closer to him so that our bodies came in contact.

"Yes, I will. I have a lot to discuss with her so I hope that you don't mind that I would meet her alone" I said and looked into his sky-blue eyes, giving him a small smile.

"I don't mind at all. You girls deserve to talk about woman things. I don't have anything against it and I don't want to be the fifth wheel"

"Thank you, Arthas" I said in return and pressed my lips against his'. He ran his fingers through my hair and I did the same, pulling him closer when I deepened the kiss. We held the kiss for a while, only pulling back when Varian came out of this room, looking more relaxed than before.

"Oh, you are still here. I haven't expected you to stay here any longer. Of course, you are welcome in Stormwind. To be honest, I had expected that you would love to have more privacy and go back to Northrend instead of staying in Stormwind City for another hour" he said and regarded us with an amused smile on his lips.

Did we kiss for an hour? It had felt for me as if we had been kissing for only five minutes. I couldn't believe that we had held the kiss for an entire hour while guards were in the near. On the other hand...

"Well, it seems that we lost our sense of time and forgot about our surroundings. We wanted to go anyway. See you soon Varian" I said and waved goodbye. He returned the gesture, walking away in a hurry. I looked at Arthas, receiving a quick nod. I closed my eyes, focusing my power to create two portals. I told Arthas to go through the first one and wait until I come back to Icerown Citadel. He nodded and gave me a quick kiss, waving at me before he walked through the portal. I stepped through the second portal, arriving in the new residence of Rhonin and the shades he commanded.

Vereesa and Rhonin the only persons in this room, not even a single shade was there.

"Where are your _servants_? I said teasingly and approached them, giving them quick hugs. I hugged Vereesa a little bit longer than Rhonin, rubbing her back and receiving a quick kiss on my left cheek.

"I'm glad that you are visiting us" said Rhonin and smiled at us.

I linked arms with Vereesa and leaned against her. "To be honest, I originally came to visit Vissia. But Vereesa is here too so we could spend time together after I have talked with Vissia. She could really help us to purge Frostmourne if she is also able to cast spells in her ghostly form like you, Rhonin. She is a very strong mage with a lot of potential.

"You are right. I have noticed that she is a very skilled spellcaster. I have trained her during the past months and made her a lot stronger. I don't know how strong she had been before you have trained her but I have to say that you did a very good job there. She will become one of the strongest mages of Azeroth one day. Especially because she doesn't get tired. Like any non-living creature, she can cast a lot more spells than the average living creature " he responded and guided me to the door on the other end of the room.

He didn't need to touch the door to open it. He just tilted his head a little and the door opened by itself. I followed him to another very large room where hundreds of shades were flying around and were chasing each other. This looked like some sort of a game. It was unmistakable that the shades were having some fun while playing this game to pass the time.

I recognized Vissia's ghostly shape on the other side of the room. She was leaning against the wall and regarded the other shades with a bored expression on her face. Her facial features changed when she caught sight of me. Her eyes lightened up, the corner of her ghostly lips formed to a small smile. She rose up and flew around the numerous shades to reach me.

This turned out to be a real challenge for her because a lot of these shades were accidentally jumping in her way when they tried to escape from another shade. Nevertheless, Vissia managed to reach us without bumping into a shade. She stopped in front of me, her smile became wider and her hand reached out for me.

I allowed her to touch me and stroke my cheek softly. Her blue orbs regarded me closely, resting on my face most of the time.

"We will leave you alone now" whispered Vereesa and walked out of the room with Rhonin. The shades followed them even though Rhonin didn't say anything. Most of them slipped through the wall, only a few moved through the opened door.

"Oh Jaina, it's good to see you. I thought that I would never see you again when Selania had pierced her sword through my body" she said, putting her arm around my neck.

"I have thought the same. It's a real miracle you are allowed to stay longer on this world" I said and tried to hug her, remembering that she was a ghost so that I was not able to touch her. But she was able to touch me and she did when she wrapped her arms around my upper body and rested her head on my shoulder. She ran her fingers through my hair and toyed with my locks, which felt weird at first but I got used to it quickly.

I looked at her, smiling widely while I did my best to withhold tears of happiness. "I have avenged your death. I made Selania pay for killing you and Rhonin. She is gone forever and will never return. She won't terrorize me anymore and she won't be able to hurt anyone who is important for me"

"I'm glad that this bitch is gone. She has mistreated you whenever she had the opportunity and she had tried her best to divide you and Arthas. She had wanted him for herself. I have to admit that I had hoped that Arthas would choose her so that I could have you. I have noticed over the time that you aren't interested in women at all so I had started to hope that he would choose you instead because I wanted that you are happy and get what you deserve" she looked a bit embarrassed at me but held eye contact.

"You don't need to be ashamed of yourself. I can understand this because I know how it is to love a person. I have already told you that I can't return these feelings, as much as I like you. The truth is that I have no romantically feelings and sexual desire for women in general. I'm attracted by real men like Arthas or Varian. I hope you can understand this and that we can be friends forever" I responded quietly, giving her an apologizing look.

"Don't worry, I already have gotten over it" she responded and looked in my eyes. "It wouldn't have been weird anyways after my death because you cannot touch me but I can touch you. The sex would have been weird too" She giggled nervously and gave me a shy smile.

"Yes, it would have been very weird" I responded and chuckled.

She came closer to me and whispered" Speaking of having sex. You and Arthas... Have you already?"

"No, not yet. We are taking things slowly. We don't want to rush things because we are afraid that it would hurt our rekindled relationship. At least I have already found out that he really likes this body" I responded and gave her a cheeky grin. Her returning grin surprised me a little. She giggled when she saw my confused face and responded "You need to know that I also like men a little and I know how their bodies react when they see a naked beautiful woman"

"I didn't know that you like boys or men as well"

"I like them too but I prefer women a lot more. First of all, there is no chance that you accidentally get pregnant and girls understand you better than men do" she explained.

"You are right. Let's talk about a different topic"

"Sure, tell me what to do you want to talk about"

"I'm curious why you never mentioned your family. I doubt that you haven't mentioned them because you have a bad relationship with them. They were really sad about your death so I assume that your relationship with them was good"

She made a thoughtful face as she looked at me. "Well, I wish I could tell you the reason why I haven't spoken about them but the truth is that I don't know why I haven't told you anything about them. Maybe because I had only eyes for you or because we had been very busy with training and other activities"

"I was wondering if they know that you are a ghost"

"They do. They have already visited me ten times over the past three weeks. Usually, we meet outside the temple. They had needed their time to get used to my appearance. It had taken long for them to accept that I was a ghostly creature and not the living shy person they used to know. But now they have accepted me for who I am and visit me as often as possible. My oldest sister told me that she is pregnant and my youngest sister had found her true love. I'm so proud of her that she shares the same interest in women as I do. Unlike me, she is only interested in women and has no interest in men. Not even a little bit. It has been a shock for her when she had found me kissing a boy years ago. She had always thought that I had been a pure lesbian but I swing in both ways"

"Well, we always listen to our heart and do whatever we think is right. We have the right to decide who we are and who we love. If men or women prefer the same gender then they should choose a partner with the same gender and be proud of it. The worst thing people do is to try to change themselves and became a person they don't want to be. They have to accept themselves how they are and listen to their hearts"

"Well spoken, Jaina"

"Why don't we go to the others and include them in our talk? I want to introduce you to my best friend" I responded and smiled at her.

"I would like that" she replied and took my hand, guiding me to the room's exit. Her ghostly hand holding mine felt a bit weird at first but I quickly got used to it. She brought me to the devastated lobby where Rhonin and Vereesa were waiting for us. They walked to us as soon as they noticed us.

"You were very fast" statemented Vereesa. "I thought that you two would talk longer than only a few minutes"

"Well, we decided to include you too in our talk because I haven't really seen each of you during the past months" I responded and linked arms with Vereesa.

I looked at Vissia. "May I introduce you to my best friend Vereesa Windrunner" I shifted my eyes between Vissia and Vereesa. "Vereesa, this is Vissia Leafdancer. She was the one who lured me out of Icecrown and caused that the dragons captured me and freed me from the Lich King's influence"

"I'm sure I have seen her before but I didn't know that she was the one responsible for your liberation. I have seen her during the siege of Warsong Hold and a few times in these halls. It's nice to get to know you" said a smiling Vereesa and extended her hand.

"It's nice to get known to you too" responded Vissia and shock Vereesa's hand. "Jaina has told me a lot about you when we had trained in Icecrown"

"Has she?" Vereesa asked curiously, an eyebrow raised.

"Indeed, she has. She told me how you have met for the first time, about your friendship and many other things. She also mentioned that you are the sister of this crazy banshee"

"This _crazy banshee_ has a name so please use it" said Vereesa insistently, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Fine, I have heard that you are the sister of Sylvanas Windrunner, the former Ranger-General and current leader of the Forsaken" replied Vissia, lifting her arms to ask for forgiveness.

Vereesa nodded, signalizing Vissia that everything was alright. "Yes, she is my sister. I have to say that she has changed a lot and I have lost contact with her over the past years but I'm giving my best to stabilize our relationship. Of course, she'll never want to see me again if she finds out that we are working with Arthas. Let's hope she never find it out" spoke Vereesa, looking at me for almost the entire time.

"You should know that she will find it out sooner or later, honey. The Horde have their spies everywhere" said Rhonin and wrapped his arm around his wife's waist, pulling her closer.

"You are right... Hopefully, I will find a way to prevent that our relationship will be ruined forever" whispered Vereesa, glancing at the floor sadly.

"Normally, I would advise you to talk to her about this but I don't think that it would work it. Sylvanas is too stubborn and filled with a massive amount of hatred for Arthas. She would never listen to you. She will never accept that Arthas has changed and has become a good person again. She will never recognize the difference between the Lich King and my Arthas" I responded and approached Vereesa, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her in a tight hug. She put her hands on my back, her head leaned against my chest. I ran my fingers through her hair, and toyed with her locks.

"You are right. I wish that the situation would be different. But you have nailed the truth. Sylvanas would never forgive what the Lich King has done to her. I can understand her. I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't feel different if I would be in her place" said Vereesa, the sad tone in her voice was unmistakable.

"Everything will be alright, I promise" I whispered in her ear and caressed it softly. I held her for a few minutes then I stepped back, looking at Rhonin who was giving us a curious look. I was wondering what was going on in his mind at this very moment.

"We should go to Rhonin's and my room" suggested Vereesa and pointed at a corridor on the lobby's left side.

"You have a room here?" I asked curiously, an eyebrow raised because I wasn't believing that they would consider living with their children in this place"

"Yes, we have decided to live here. Dalaran belongs to the Scourge and Rhonin has to stay in the near of these shades" explained Vereesa.

"And your kids? Aren't these shades a little too scary for them?" asked Vissia.

"They were scared by ghosts in general but then they had started to accept Rhonin and his new appearance. They have come to terms that their father is a ghost but is still able to touch them, to play and interact with them. Since then they began to tolerate friendly ghosts. Not even Sylvanas' look scares them anymore"

"Wait...Does this mean that she has met the kids?"

"Yes, she did and the little ones had enjoyed seeing her"

"Did Sylvanas visit you or did you visit her?" I asked curiously. I couldn't imagine the kids in Undercity. They wouldn't hold out very long. Even if they have gotten used to ghosts, Undercity was on an entirely different level. This place was so horrible that no living person would survive living there for more than a few days. This place was everything but child-friendly. I was hoping that Vereesa hadn't brought them to Undercity because this would have resulted in a heavy trauma for both half-elves.

"Calm down. I didn't bring them to Undercity if that's what you are worried about. We met near Silvermoon City, in a small village and talked a little. The little ones were happy to meet their only remaining relative. I was happy too. I understand that Sylvanas has become a completely different person. She is not the sister I once had known and admired. She has become a more violent and cruel being. She would step over corpses to achieve her goals but she is still my sister. The only relative I have left, except for my sons"

"I'm glad that the twins still like her. You know that I don't like her at all but I'm happy when you are happy. It's so funny that she is so different compared to you. Unlike you and Alleria, she has not fallen in love with a human. Instead, she has chosen a female high elf. She was already different before she became the Banshee Queen" I said amused.

"Well, you could say that we all three are different than the rest of our family. Alleria and I were the first ones in our family who didn't fell in love with a male high elf. My parents weren't happy at first when I introduced Rhonin to them but they got used to him over the time" she responded and stared at Rhonin who was smiling at her and stroked her cheeks with his hands, pressing a quick kiss on her forehead.

Vereesa looked back at me and added "Do you believed that my parents had approved Sylvanas' relationship with Velonara faster than Alleria's and mine? It's unusual for two females to fall in love with, among our people at least. It's not really forbidden but people don't like to see them holding hands or kissing in public. It's still a mystery for me that my parents tolerated Sylvanas' love for women more than mine and Alleria's interest in humans"

"It is very strange, isn't it?" I commented and gave her a small smile, putting my hand on her shoulder.

"It is indeed. Whatever. Let's go to our room, the boys would be happy to see you. They already know how you look like but the still want to see you as a real person for the first time" said Vereesa and took my hand, guiding me to the corridor which would lead us to hers and Rhonin's room. Vissia and Rhonin followed us without hesitation.

* * *

I stepped out the portal and would have breathed out in relief if I would have been alive. The meeting with Vereesa's kids had been wonderful but also exhausting. The kids had been shy at first but after a few minutes, they had become very vivid and had run rounds around me. They had asked a lot of questions. It had been hard to answer all of their questions because they hadn't stopped asking more and more questions. Fortunately, their mother had told them to calm down and give me room to breathe - unfortunate word choice in this case.

Giramar and Galadin had listened to their mother and had stopped asking questions. Instead, they had started to touch my face and play with my hair. They had acted like real kids. Seeing them like this had brought back repressed memories. One of these memories was about Arthas breaking up with me at Winters Veil because he had realized that he had not been ready to be a future king, husband and father. If only I had not made this comment about the hair colour of our future children... Everything could have been different - At least I was believing that.

The second memory was about me lying in a corner, grieving about everything and everyone I had lost. I had acted like a cry baby when I had realized that I would never be able to have kids - that I would never be able to give birth to Arthas' kids. It had taken me an entire week to pull myself together and move on. This had happened a few months after the Lich King had raised me.

I had suppressed this memory for more than one year but now I was remembering it.

Other women, especially forsaken women, would be jealous of Vereesa because she had everything the average woman wanted. She had a handsome and powerful husband with influence. She was a very beautiful woman and had two cute sons. She was also very famous and admired by the members of the Alliance and by the former high elves which had changed their name to blood elves after the invasion of the Scourge. She had everything, even her husband was still by her side although he was murdered by the Scourge. These were enough reasons for others to be jealous of her.

But I wasn't jealous. I was pleased to see that Vereesa was happy. She could live the life I had always dreamed of. She had a husband who loved her and kids who admired her. Minus the fact that her husband was a ghost, her life was almost perfect. There were a few things which could be better for her, for the example that she could have a better relationship with her sister. But other than that, she could not complain about anything.

Of course, it hurt me to know that I wouldn't be able to have kids and fuse the bloodline of the Menethils and the Proudmoores together. It had needed a lot of time to accept that. What was important for me was that Arthas and I were together after so many years where he had been the Lich King's slave. I just had to make sure that the Horde, especially Sylvanas, doesn't get Arthas. We have to make sure that would survive and that we keep the Scourge under our control so that they won't try to reawaken the Lich King.

When the kids had gotten tired, Vereesa, Vissia and I had been able to talk about typical women topics while Rhonin had brought the boys to bed. We had also talked about politics which included the Scourge, the Horde and the Alliance. We had talked about the past, the present and the future which would await us. Vereesa and Vissia had gotten closer and started to become friends while I solidified my bondages to them. We had included Rhonin, after he had come back out of the kids' room, and had talked for almost five hours.

I had informed Vissia about our attempt to cleanse Frostmourne. She had assured me that she would help us. I had expressed my thanks and had told her that I would wait for her in Stormwind City. She had hugged me and had told me that she would travel to Stormwind City as fast as possible. I had given her a thankful nod, then I had said goodbye to Rhonin and Vereesa. Rhonin had assured me that he would go with Vissia to Stormwind City and help to cleanse the cursed runeblade as well. I had given him a thankful nod and a small smile, then I had opened a portal which had brought me to Stormwind City.

I was standing in the middle of the throne room and spotted a stressed Varian who was sitting on his throne and did his best to calm down about ten scared villagers. I passed the guards, who were showing no emotions when they were looking at me, and walked to Varian. He dismissed the villages and stood up from his throne, approaching me.

"Is something wrong?" I asked when I hugged Varian quickly.

"Something is wrong indeed" he responded, frowning a little.

"Tell me about it"

Varian took a deep breath before he responded. "These villagers have reported that a small group of ghouls has attacked their villages in the east of Stormwind. They weren't sure if these ghouls belonged to the Scourge or to the Forsaken. Either result would be bad for us" I noticed a slight amount of worry in his eyes when he spoke.

"So, there are two explanations for this. Either Sylvanas' servants had attacked these villagers. This would mean that either she had found out that your Alliance is working with us or she has no clue and just wants to test her limits. It would be pretty bad if she finds out that we have Frostmourne and Arthas as our ally" I made a small pause before I continued to explain my conclusion.

"Or these ghouls are members of the Scourge which would mean that these ghouls had broken free from the control of Frostmourne's temporary replacement. This would mean that we have to make things work so that Frostmourne's curse will be removed. We have to prevent that more and more servants of the Scourge break free and go on a rampage"

"This is not good. We have to be careful and keep an eye on the Scourge and the Forsaken. The worst situation would be that Sylvanas knows about your and Arthas' cooperation with us. She would try to stir up the entire Horde against us if she really knows that. Hopefully, it's just the Scourge or one of the Banshee Queen's provocations" responded Varian with a worried look on his face.

"Both conclusions are not good for us so I would suggest that we would start the ritual in an hour. The best would be that you order your best spies to find out if these ghouls belong to the Forsaken or to the Scourge" I said, returning his worried look.

"That's a good idea. I will speak with Spymaster Shaw while you give your best sure to absolve the ritual successfully"

"I will" I responded and nodded. He nodded in return and jogged to the throne room's exit. He gave the guards a few orders and rushed out of the room. One of these guards came to me and signalized me to follow him. I did as I was told and he brought me to a very large room which was adorned by beautiful and expensive decorations which complied the taste of the humans. My gaze rested on the blue carpet, which was extended over the entire floor before it shifted to the large table around which a lot of familiar but also unfamiliar persons were standing.

The Dragon Aspects, the former Council of the Kirin Tor, Aegwynn (the mother of the former guardian Medivh), Tyrande, Malfurion, numerous priests, mages and other powerful and famous spellcasters were standing around the table. I greeted all of them, preparing myself for this ritual which would require a large amount of power from every present person. Rhonin and Vissia arrived almost an hour later which meant that we were twenty-five persons in total.

We began with the ritual as soon as everyone was ready. We took the hands of our neighbours, positioning ourselves in a circle around the table on which Frostmourne laid. We closed our eyes and listened to Aegwynn's commands because she was the one with the most experienced person in the room when it comes to necromantic and demonic magic. Frostmourne had been created by Ner'zhul when he had become a slave of the Burning Legion, meaning both kinds of magic had been used to empower it. Aegwynn was the perfect choice for the leader for this ritual because she had once been the Guardian of Tirisfal. She was still a powerful mage and her knowledge qualified her as a good leader for this ritual.

First, she ordered us to focus every bit of power and release it. She used the released powers to create a sphere which contained our combined amount of power. This sphere, better known as our combined mana pool which we could use together, was very large and floated above us.

On Aegwynn's command, the warlocks tapped into the mana pool and used spells which should draw portions of dark magic out of Frostmourne. The other mages and I used arcane techniques to make sure that Frostmourne's released dark magic won't damage the mana pool. The priests began using holy light on the sword. The holy light came in contact with the sword but it wasn't able to cause anything because the portion of remaining dark magic in Frostmourne was too large.

We obeyed her next command and started to weaken Frostmourne and the remaining dark magic which was still corrupting it. We cast different spells on the runeblade, making sure that the possessive magic became weaker. It looked really good for us and I was even thinking that we could be done within an hour. But then a dazzling light blinded us for a few moments. I kept my eyes shut until I sensed that the light was gone. I opened my eyes, noticing that I was not standing in the room anymore. I was standing in a corridor, none of the other spellcasters were in my near.

I didn't need too long to find out where I was. I also found out that this was not my body. I was in someone else's body and wasn't able to do anything. The body, through which eyes I was seeing, was moving on its own. I was able to see what this strange person was seeing, to feel what the person was feeling and to hear what the person was hearing. I didn't need long to figure out in which body I was. This body was the body of Arthas but not of the good Arthas. This body was wearing Arthas' significant death knight armour. Also, I noticed strands of pure white hair out of the corner of Arthas' eyes.

Arthas left the corridor and came into a very familiar room which I recognized immediately. It was the throne room of Lordaeron. I knew immediately what was going to happen next. The death knight Arthas will kill his father and doom the kingdom of Lordaeron. I wish I could do something but I also remembered that this was only a vision. I could only observe the tragic events which were about to happen.

Suddenly, I heard a quiet voice in the back of my - or in this case - Arthas' head. It was the muffled voice of the good Arthas who screamed at the corrupted one that he should stop, that he didn't want that the approaching events would happen. The good Arthas tried to get the attention of the person who was in control. He screamed, he shouted, he insulted but none of his attempts was efficient enough to change the corrupted Arthas' mind. Arthas' voice became louder but nothing changed. The corrupted Arthas walked to the middle of the room and bowed down in front of King Terenas II, Frostmourne's tip was pressed against the cold floor.

I heard the corrupted Arthas' inner's voice which spoke to the good Arthas, taunting him and telling him that he was weak and not strong enough to be able to change anything. The voice of the good Arthas didn't stop protesting although he was realizing that he couldn't stop the other one, no matter how loud he screamed.

Terenas stood up from his throne, making a few steps towards his son. He couldn't know that the man in front of him, the man in which body I currently was, was no longer his son. He greeted him, holding a little speech but his words were not hearable because the corrupted Arthas' inner voice was a lot louder, drowning out King Terenas' voice.

'You no longer need to sacrifice for your people. You no longer need to bear the weight of your crown. I've taken care of everything' the inner voice of the corrupted death knight Arthas spoke then the death knight stood up and walked towards King Terenas, Frostmourne's tip pointed at the old man. The good Arthas cried out, begging the death knight to stop but once again he didn't listen. The death knight's mind was filled with hatred - hatred aimed at all living creatures. Once again, I was wishing that I could do something but I was powerless. The death knight came closer to the King of Lordaeron. No matter who often I tried to take over his body and walk away, I wasn't able to prevent what was about to happen at this very moment.

I heard the voice of the death knight Arthas who was cheering when his eyes saw Terenas' astonished and confused face. His inner voice burst out into laughter while the good Arthas' voice became weaker and quieter.

"What is this? What are you doing my son?" asked Terenas, his voice and his face reflected his confusion about his son's behaviour. He was brought to his knees by the death knight's strong hand, Frostmourne's tip was pointed at his chest.

I was feeling so bad for King Terenas. He had been so proud of his son. He had never seen it coming, even in his last moments he was not aware that he would die by the hands of his only son - to be fair it was not the good Arthas who would end his life. Terenas showed no fear as he looked into the eyes of the man who had once been his son and the heir of his kingdom.

I was not able to express any emotion, I was only able to watch and listen to the self-talk of the corrupted Arthas who was already super excited to end the life of the man in front of him.

"Succeeding you, FATHER" the corrupted Arthas responded, giving the king a malicious smile.

I heard the loud cry of the good Arthas' when the death knight thrust Frostmourne through Teneras' chest. The king's eyes widened, his facial features derailed and his expression became blank. I heard Arthas' quiet sobs, which would make me cry if I would be able to do that in that vision. His voice died away as the death knight pulled Frostmourne out of his father's corpse.

Because I was fully aware of what the death knight was thinking, doing and seeing, I noticed that his lips formed a wide grin and his hateful eyes rested on the corpses of Terenas and his guards who were killed by Arthas' former men which were also serving the Lich King. I was not able to do anything physically but I was able to think. I tried to reach out for the voice of the good Arthas and tried to get in contact with him. I wanted to communicate with him, to calm him down and to tell him that he was not on his own. Unfortunately, the death knight's evil laughter prevented each of my attempts. I tried to focus again but the thoughts of the death knight, which were about slaughtering the entire population of Lordaeron, interrupted me once again.

The death knight turned around.

"This kingdom shall fall" he announced and paused for a moment, "And from the ashes shall arise a new order, that will shake the very foundations of the world". His followers cheered, the loudest voices belonged to his best men Falric and Marwyn who had also become death knights of Ner'zhul.

The death knight held Frostmourne in the air, the tip of the cursed blade glowed for a short moment. Dark magic swirled around it and the corpses of the fallen guards began to move and stood up.

The evil laughter of the death knight Arthas was the last thing I heard before I was dazzled again and found myself in Stormwind again.

I looked around, noticing the surprised and confused faces of the others. This could only mean that they had witnessed the same scene as I had. I assumed that the vision was one of Frostmourne's protective mechanisms to stop us from removing the curse. I was asking myself if it would show us more of these visions if we would keep going.

I noticed that the mana pool looked a bit smaller than before. This could only mean that Frostmourne had sabotaged us by drawing power from the mana pool while we stuck in such a vision. To prevent that this would happen again, a few of us had to do everything to prevent that we get trapped in such a vision again. At least not all of us.

It surprised me that this sword was able to defend itself although it was only an object - an object soaked in dark magic to be exactly. This sword was defending itself as if it was haunted by an evil spirit which would do everything to remain in the sword. I have heard of cursed items which were haunted by evil spirits but I had never heard that Frostmourne was one of them.

I looked at the other members of our group, noticing that they were having different expressions on their faces. A few of them were terrified, others were scared and about five people looked like they had seen a ghost. The group needed half an hour to calm down and get focused again. We held the hands of our neighbours again and closed our eyes, listening to Aegwynn's commands.

We started the second attempt to drain the dark magic out of Frostmourne. This time we drained more power out of Frostmourne in a shorter time than during the first attempt. Frostmourne managed to lure us into one of its defensive traps again. I noticed that I was trapped in another vision which was about the death knight Arthas who was invading Quel'Thalas. This time, the voice of the good Arthas was not hearable, meaning that no inner conflict was happening in Arthas' mind. Not even when he ran Frostmourne through Sylvanas Windrunner's upper body and raised her as a banshee.

The loud shrieks of the freshly raised banshee were very painful to hear but I had to bear them because I was not able to do anything except witness what the death knight was seeing, hearing and feeling. The death knight's mind was filled with hatred, pity for his enemies and other negative emotions. He was satisfied with the amount of death and pain he and his servants were causing. I was forced to listen to his evil thoughts, wishing I could cut them out. The vision ended after the death knight had killed High King Anasterian Sunstrider.

I looked around after I had realized that I was not trapped in the vision anymore, noticing that the mana pool had shrunken again. This time, we protected ourselves with a few powerful arcane spells, hoping that they would prevent that Frostmourne would lock us in another vision. It didn't work as excepted but at least only half of us become victims of Frostmourne's evil magic. Half of our group stared at random spots in the room, eyes widened and blank expressions were visible on their faces, meaning they were trapped in another vision of the past.

Our priests and druids tried to free the trapped spellcasters while the rest of us continued to weaken Frostmourne, which worked pretty well. We drained enough magic out of the runeblade so that it was not able anymore to trap us into these visions. We obeyed Aegwynn's orders and drained the remaining dark magic out of the runeblade. The last portion of dark magic manifested itself and took the shape of a shadow creature.

The creature's outlines reminded me of a tall and muscular orc. It had two heads, one head looked like a human head with long silver hair. I couldn't recognize the details of the face, only his blue glowing eyes were clearly recognizable. The second head reminded me of the head of a brown-skinned orc. The face of this orc was decorated with white war paint which reminded me of a skull. The hair on the back of the orc's head was tied up in a ponytail, the rest of his head was bald. Except for the heads, the entire body of this shadow creature was coloured pitch-black.

"You will pay for having preventing my plans once again, Jaina Proudmoore. I will make sure that you will never thwart my plans again" a distorted voice, which came out of the orc's mouth, shouted. The creature stretched his arms out, his claws were massive and were ready to hurt me. I tapped into the mana pool, hoping that I would be fast enough to protect myself with a spell before the creature would cut me in halves.

"DIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE" the creature's horrible voice shrieked when its claws came closer to me.


	24. You are mine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The rating of this chapter is a bit higher than usual. Feel free to comment and rate this story. I read all of your reviews/comments and reply to them.

_Jaina's POV_

The creature's strong claw came closer to me with such a speed that I knew that I was not able to dodge it. My only hope was to protect myself with a barrier which would be strong enough to prevent that the claw would hit me. I had used a mix between arcane magic and frost magic to create this barrier. It looked really strong but I didn't know if it was really that strong. This wouldn't end well for me if that thing would hit me.

The creature's claw surpassed the barrier without a problem, shattering it completely in the process. The claw would have hit me if Vissia wouldn't have pushed me away at the last moment. Even though she was a ghost, the claw still hit her and flung her away. She landed on the floor but was up again a few seconds later.

I snarled at the ugly creature and sent a large ball of flames at it. I had drained a lot of mana out of the mana pool so I was hoping that it would do serious damage to this wicked creature. The technique hit it in the chest, causing it to stagger backwards. An angry cry slipped out of the creature's jaw when it noticed the large hole in its chest. I didn't hesitate and attacked the creature again, this time with a powerful arcane blast.

The creature snarled and raised his right arm in the air, the orc head muttered a few unrecognizable phrases while the other head looked in my direction. A green anti-magic shell appeared around the creature's body. By the light did I hate those spells. There was nothing more annoying than fighting against death knights who used this technique to shield themselves from my spells. I had witnessed more than one time that these shells were very resistant and could block a few powerful spells before they would expire.

Suddenly, the creature grabbed Frostmourne and sprinted in my direction. I was only able to dodge its attack at the last moment before it would have split me into two halves. The creature turned around and was about to attack me again but then it stopped suddenly. I blinked, noticing that chains made out of concentrated light were wrapped around the creature's ankles and wrists, pulling it backwards and preventing that it could come any closer to me. I didn't know who had created these chains and how they had gotten through the anti-magic shell but I didn't care at all because I was just glad that they stopped the monster from attacking me.

I tapped into the mana pool and drained enough mana out so that I was able to cast a frost nova which froze the creature's feet to the ground. The creature was not able to move anymore. It roared out in anger and tried to get its feet free. More and more spells from the other spellcasters were fired at the creature. The shell blocked the first five powerful spells but then it expired and left the creature defenceless. The creature cried out in pain with each wound which was inflicted to it. One of these many spells cut the creature's hand off, causing that Frostmourne landed on the floor.

I was asking myself why I was doing this as I found myself sprinting towards the runeblade. I picked it up and thrust it through the creature's chest. The creature's painful cry was loud, shrill and hurt my ears. I drew the sword out and beheaded the roaring orc head. The humanoid head stared at me, his facial features were still unrecognizable so that I was not able to see his reaction.

The creature stumbled backwards, looking at the separated head on the floor which dissolved quickly. The creature turned around and ran away, giving me the opportunity to pierce a large ice-splinter through its back. More and more splinters and other spells hit it in the back and in its legs, slowing it down until it was not able to move at all. I ran to the creature and thrust this sword through the spot where I had expected his heart.

A shrill cry escaped the creature's lips, its eyes were widened and showed fear. Its facial features were recognizable for a brief moment before its entire body disintegrated quickly. I would have breathed out in relief if I would have been alive and air would have been in my lungs.

Instead, I closed my eyes for a moment and opened them when I heard the cheers of the others. I looked around, noticing that they were more than just glad that this monster was gone. Whatever this creature had been, an evil spirit which had possessed the sword, a servant of the Burning Legion or parts of Ner'zhuls and Arthas' soul which had been fused together - didn't matter anymore because it was gone forever, meaning that Frostmourne should be cleansed theoretically.

I lifted my hand a little, regarding the runeblade in my left hand. The blue glowing aura, which had always been wrapped around the sword, was gone and replaced by a weakly white glowing aura. I solidified my grip around Frostmourne's hilt, sensing an incredible power which rushed through my body. I felt a lot stronger and comfortable while I was holding this sword. Now I was able to understand why Arthas had carried it around all the time. Holding this sword in my hand felt amazing. Not only did it increase the power of its owner, but it also spoke to the person and gave tips.

The sword had told me during the fight against the shadow creature which moves I should make and where and when I should attack. Almost as if had been guiding me on the right path and had convinced me to do the right thing. Of course, I knew that it had convinced Arthas that he was following the right path when he doomed his own kingdom and did countless crimes against the living. It had blinded Arthas so that he hadn't recognized that he had been following the wrong path since the purging of Stratholme.

I knew that I had to be careful. I had decided that I would listen to Frostmourne's whispering but I will make my own decision and not follow Frostmourne's guidance blindly.

'Thank you for cleansing me from the corruption' Frostmourne whispered to me.

_It so weird that this sword is speaking with me. How do I communicate with it? Do I have to speak to it or do I have to think that I want to say to it? This is so strang_ e.

My question was immediately answered by Frostmourne. 'You just need to imagine what you want to say. I can read your mind, you know'

I had always imagined that Frostmourne's influential voice would be a lot deeper and would sound angrier and frightening. It seemed that I had been wrong because it sounded like a normal voice, almost like a friendly one.

_'_ How do I know that I can trust you? Who guarantees me that you wouldn't corrupt me as you did with Arthas?' I asked in my mind, demanding an answer from the sword's spirit.

'I was forced to serve Ner'zhul since he had created me. I had corrupted Arthas' mind because Ner'zhul had ordered it. Now where he is gone, I don't need to obey him anymore. Arthas has banished Ner'zhul out of his mind and you freed me from his influence when you chopped off the orc head from the body of this disgusting creature' spoke Frostmourne.

'Your aura may have changed but that doesn't convince me to trust you'

'Well, you don't need to carry me. You could give me to Arthas or to anyone else'

'No, I do not want to ever see you in Arthas' hands again. I will make sure that he will never be corrupted again. Not by you and not by anyone else. I need you to control the Scourge so it seems that we have to get along with each other. Get used to the fact that I'm your new owner'

'I will promise that I won't fail you, Jaina Proudmoore"

'I still do not trust you, even if you tell me all of these things'

'You don't need to trust me. You just need to use me and make sure that the Scourge stops to attack the living. I will prove that I'm trustworthy'

'Hopefully' I thought and looked around, noticing that the others were wondering what was going on in my mind. I guessed that I must have made a weird looking expression while I was having this inner conversation with Frostmourne. I told everyone that I was fine, walking to Tyrande as soon as the others had stopped staring at me as if something was wrong with me.

"You don't need to look at me like that. I'm not going to become insane. This time, Frostmourne won't corrupt anyone's mind" I said to all while looking at Vereesa.

"Hopefully. We don't need another person who becomes the victim of this blade" responded Tyrande and gave me a worried look, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"You can observe me for a while if you want. You can check if I show obvious signs of being corrupted by Frostmourne. If I'm getting corrupted then you can take the sword away. If not, which most likely would be the case, I will be Frostmourne's new owner. We all know that we have to keep the Scourge under control if we want to make peace, so someone has to use it. I don't want that Arthas gets corrupted again so I will wield the sword. I would rather be corrupted by it than losing Arthas again. But it doesn't have to come this way. The chances are pretty high that Frostmourne is not harming anyone. Yes, I know that we have to be careful but I'm pretty sure that we can use it without suffering under side-effects"

"I know that you are right Jaina. All of your arguments sound right, but I still have a bad feeling about this. I don't know why but my sixth sense is telling me that we have to be careful" responded Tyrande, still giving me this worried look. She eyed the sword in my hand, then she eyed me, staring into my eyes as if she was trying to figure out what was going on in my mind.

"I'm glad that you are worried about my well-being but you don't need to. I'm fine, I swear and I pretty sure that this sword is clean and won't try to corrupt me. It even spoke with a caring and happy voice to me and told me that it wouldn't try to control me"

"It spoke to you? Like it did to Arthas?" asked Rhonin and came closer to me, studying me with interest.

"Yes, but as I have said, it didn't try to corrupt me"

"But that doesn't mean a lot. You should be really careful"

"Yes, I know. I'm not stupid"

"We should keep our eyes open and watch out for hints of corruption. Mood or behaviour changes for example. We should examine the sword closer. The best is that you would stay a few weeks in Stormwind City. Vissia and I will stay with you and observe you. If that's okay for you" responded Tyrande. She looked at me expectantly, one of her eyebrows was raised.

It didn't take long for me to think about her suggestion and give her a polite answer. "Of course. I can understand that you don't trust anyone when it comes to this certain sword. I will stay with you for a few weeks or as long as you want me to stay. It's your choice. But don't forget that we still don't know who had attacked the villagers from the east of Stormwind. Don't forget that the Scourge would attack us sooner or later if we don't get them under control. We cannot allow that they become active again"

"Right... I have almost forgotten that they are still a threat for us... The decision is not easy. I will speak with Varian but I'm assuming that we will keep you in Stormwind City for at least a few days"

"Do that Tyrande. I will meet up with Vereesa and spend some time with her in this city" I responded and gave her an agreeing nod.

"I will go with you" told Vissia and approached me.

"Alright, I will see you later" spoke Tyrande and hugged me, placing a soft kiss on my forehead. She returned my smile and waved goodbye to the others. Then she gave her husband a signal and left the room with him.

"I know that Vereesa is somewhere in this city. Maybe she is still on the market with the kids. But before we go, we should find a way to cover Frostmourne. It wouldn't be the wisest choice to walk around with it because people still recognize it, especially those who had fought against the Lich King" said Rhonin.

"You are right. Either I wrap a blanket around it or cover it with an illusion spell. The illusion should cause that others see a different sword or a magic wand instead of Frostmourne"

"The idea with the illusion is better. It's really necessary to prevent that the people get suspicious. We need the people's support if we want to re-establish you and Arthas back in the Alliance. We have to make sure that they trust you again, even if the process is very slow. Walking around with Frostmourne would do little to achieve our goal" spoke Rhonin.

"That makes sense for me. Would you help me?" I asked and looked at Rhonin and Vissia. Both nodded and drained the last remains of power out of the mana pool. Together, we wrapped an illusion spell around the sword. The sword's appearance changed, making it look like a mighty wand. But the illusion held only for a short moment. I blinked, noticing that appearance had changed back, meaning that the illusion hadn't worked. I frowned as I looked at the sword in my hand.

"Weird" I muttered and scrutinized it once again, trying to figure out why it didn't work.

"What?" asked Vissia, looking at me as if she was trying to figure out what I was meaning.

"The illusion had lasted for only a short moment"

"No, it still lasts. You are holding this mighty-looking wand instead of Frostmourne in your left hand" she responded.

"Wait, are you serious?" I asked, giving them a surprised look.

"Yes, I am. You are not holding Frostmourne anymore. You are holding a wand with a bright blue crystal on its tip. Are you trying to tell us that you believe that you are still holding Frostmourne?"

"Er, yes. I think so"

"We can see this wand which means that the illusion works only on us. It doesn't work on you, but it works, which is very good" responded Vissia.

"This is very weird but it's fine as long as you are only one who recognizes Frostmourne" said Rhonin, looking at me with curiosity.

"Yeah, it's fine. But I'm still wondering why this illusion doesn't work on me. Anyways, we have achieved our goal. Now I can walk around with it without needing to worry that people would eye me suspiciously" I spoke and gave them a satisfied smile.

"So, we are done here so we can go to the market and look out for Vereesa. I'm pretty sure she wants to know that we were successful" told Rhonin and flew towards the room's exit, signalizing Vissia and me to follow him.

"Alright, let's go" I responded and followed him, not needing to look back to know that Vissia was following me.

"Ah Jaina, there you are. I was already wondering how long you and your group need to cleanse Frostmourne from its curse" said Vereesa as she approached me and hugged me, placing a soft kiss on my right cheek.

"Well, we were faster than we had expected even though there were a few complications" I responded and checked my surroundings. Vereesa, Vissia, Rhonin and I were in the middle of the grand market of Stormwind City. We were surrounded by dozens of stalls and hundreds of citizens who were examining the offering and products which were laid out on the numerous tables.

"Complications? What kind of complications?" she asked, giving me a worried look.

"You don't need to worry about it anymore. We have taken care of everything, Vereesa" I said and wrapped my arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer until my side touched hers'.

"So, where is this infamous sword and who carries it?"

"I'm carrying it on my back at this very moment" I whispered quiet enough so that only Vereesa, Rhonin and Vissia were hearing it. Rhonin explained quickly what we had done to cover it.

"Oh, now I get it. Good to know that it works"

"Can I ask you a question, Vereesa?"

"Sure, you can. Go ahead"

"I was wondering if it would be okay for you that I carry Frostmourne with me. You can tell me if you have a problem with me being the one who is the new owner of the sword which killed your sister and stole her soul" I told and looked in her beautiful eyes, pausing for a short moment before I asked "Do you have a problem with that?"

She behaved more composed than I had expected. "Well, I'm not happy at all that this sword still exists but as long as it doesn't harm anyone and as long as we need it to control the Scourge, I can accept that you are its new owner. I'd rather want that you have it. I don't want to see it in the hands of someone else"

"Good, I was wondering if you would be mad at me. I'm happy that you are not" I responded and gave her a calm and happy look.

"Why should I be mad at you? You are my best friend. You have done nothing wrong at all. You have only acted against the living when you had been controlled by the Lich King. It wouldn't be fair to blame you for this because you haven't been able to prevent any of these events. Now you are on our side again. You are doing your best to neutralize the threat of the Scourge and bring peace for Azeroth. There is no reason for me to be mad at you"

"I'm glad that you are seeing things like this" I said and pressed a soft kiss on her cheek.

"I'm always on your side, Jaina. You can always count on me" she said smilingly and rubbed my right cheek with her gloved hand.

I smiled back at her and stared in her eyes for a few moments. I looked around, then looking back at her with a surprised expression on my face. "Where are your kids? I can't see them in the crowd"

"They are spending time with their cousin. I'm pretty sure that they are looking out for toys or sweets. I'm hoping that Arator won't buy too many sweets for them. A few are okay but too many are bad for their teeth"

I chuckled and poked her left cheek with my index finger. "I see you are still the overly cautious mother I used to know from the past"

"Well, I just want the best for them and hurting teeth wouldn't be good for them. It's hard sometimes to make the right choice because the little ones can get really annoying if they don't get what they want. It's hard to handle them sometimes but other than that they are really lovely and I'm glad that I have them and their father"

"They are lovely like their mother" spoke Rhonin and wrapped his arm around his wife's hips.

"Do you know what astonishes me, Rhonin?" I regarded the crowd for a few moments, then I looked at the ghost who was giving me a questioning look. "During our walk to the market, I have noticed that most citizens haven't been staring at you. Only a few individuals had shown their surprise about your presence. For me, it seems that most people know about you and have accepted you like you are. They don't really care that you are a ghost and they aren't scared of you"

"Well, you are right, most of the people aren't afraid of me and still accept me as a member of the Alliance. I have to thank King Varian for this, to be honest" he responded and smiled.

He didn't speak any further, Vissia was the one who gave me an explanation. "King Varian has given a speech to all citizens of Stormwind City in which he had explained what had happened to us. He had convinced the citizens that we are on their side and no danger for them"

"A few of them are still giving use these looks but the most citizens are trusting us" added Rhonin.

"That makes sense. They trust their king so they trust you too because he put in a good word for both of you" I told, receiving agreeing nods from them.

"We should look out for the kids. I don't want that Arator spoils them too much" announced Vereesa and walked towards the northern area of the market. I didn't hesitate and followed her, Rhonin and Vissia were moving as well.

* * *

_Arthas' POV_

I looked up from the book I was reading when my ears recognized that the door was opened. I was curious who would enter the room, even though I was suspecting who it was. My assumption turned out to be true when this lovely lady walked in the room and looked at me, a happy smile decorated her beautiful face.

"Is this a dream or are you really reading?" she asked amused and came closer to the bed I was lying on.

"I don't think that this is a dream. If this would be a dream you would have already taken your clothes off and given me a good view" I teased and put the book aside, taking a seat on the edge of the bed.

"You pervert" responded Jaina, faking that she was scandalized by my statement.

"You asked me a serious question so I gave you a serious answer" I responded, giving her a cheeky grin. My eyes rested on the wand on her back for a short moment before their focus shifted to Jaina's exposed cleavage. I kept staring, only noticing that she had approached me when she cleared her throat, bringing me out of my thoughts back to reality. She stood directly in front of me, hands rested on her waist. I smelled the strong scent of her lovely rose perfume. Her hair smelled after fresh peaches. I was pretty sure that she had used a few mage tricks to make her body smell so wonderful.

"You have to tell me how you do this" I whispered and ran my fingers through her hair. "Wait, did you dye your hair blonde? It has the exact colour it once had in life"

She smiled at me and stroked my cheeks with her soft hands. "Yes, I did. I'm hoping that you like it"

"Of course, I like it. I have always admired your beautiful hair. It is as blond as mine used to be"

"I'm glad you like it. I was wondering when you will notice it because you haven't mentioned it immediately when I entered the room" she said quietly and sat on my lap, resting her hands on my shoulders.

"Well, my gaze rested... somewhere else" I said, trying to hide my embarrassment by not looking in her face. She giggled and ran her fingers through my hair when she noticed that my gaze rested again on her low-cut neckline. It would be a lie to say that this view wasn't turning me on.

"By the titans Arthas, you do it again" cried out Jaina, sounding scandalized. I looked up to her face, noticing the wide and cheeky grin on her lips. Of course, she was playing with me. She was trying to make me feel bad. Of course, it didn't work at all because I had foreseen her intention.

I wrapped my arms around her body, then I took the wand from her back and dropped it to the floor. A cold shiver ran down my spine when I touched it and felt another one when I released it. I was wondering why my body had reacted this way. I could have tried to figure out what had happened but my thoughts drifted off when my hands acted on their own and wandered to Jaina's rear, grabbing it roughly.

"For a prince, you can be a real swine sometimes" she whispered, her voice sounded more teasing than serious.

"Well, I can be a rude guy if you want" I whispered back and spanked her ass with the palm of my left hand. The corner of my lips formed a small smile when my ears recognized her quiet moan. "You are a really naughty girl _Lady Proudmoore_ " I said quietly and kissed her neck softly. One kiss - two kisses - three and four kisses until another moan escaped those beautiful lips. Jaina didn't respond verbally, she just ran her hands through my hair.

I bit her neck softly, knowing that the marks I would leave on her neck wouldn't disappear for a few days at least. "Tell me, _Lady Proudmoore_ , does it turn you on when I call you like this?" I asked and kneaded her ass through the fabric of her dress and her underwear, receiving another, this time louder, moan.

"By the light Arthas..." she spoke but wasn't able to speak further because another moan slipped out of her perfect lips. I sneaked one of my hands beneath her dress, kneading her ass without the fabric between my hand and her soft flesh. Her body was cold but I had gotten used to it a while ago so that the temperature of her body didn't matter for me anymore. I continued to knead her ass with one hand while my other reached the spot where she needed me the most, the sacred place between her legs. I began to rub her, causing that her moans became louder and more frequent.

"Oh, Arthas. Please don't stop" she cried out, causing that my smile became even wider as it already was.

"Who am I that I would deny your request?" I whispered and kissed the shell of her ear, entering her with my index finger. I observed her beautiful face with a satisfied smile on my lips. Her eyes were half closed and her lips were parted. Her hands found their way beneath my tunic and caressed my stomach muscles, which turned me even more on. I inserted a second finger and even a third finger after quite some time. She rocked her hips fore- and backwards, her walls tightening around my fingers.

She cried out and came, her sticky juice dripped onto my hand. I pulled my fingers out of her, regarding the sticky white liquid on my fingers. "My, my. It seems that you have really missed me. I barely touched you with my fingers and you already came" I said amused and regarded her embarrassed but also satisfied face.

"Well, it has been a while since the last time I had sex with you" she whispered and removed my tunic, exposing my upper body. She began to kiss my face, my neck, then my muscular chest and my belly.

I took her dress off in return and toyed with her large breasts. I loved the sounds she was making when my hands groped her soft rounds. It didn't need long for her to tell me that she wanted to feel me inside her. I let her beg for a few minutes before I showed mercy and thrust my manliness in her needy core. We cried out in pleasure and moved our bodies in certain ways so that the other felt the maximum amount of pleasure. I wrapped my arms around her upper body, pressing her tightly against my chest when I reached my climax and came inside her.

I closed my eyes and rested my hands on her back, feeling really exhausted after these few hours of love-making. If there was an activity which could really exhaust an undead creature, then it was making love for at least five hours.

"This was amazing" whispered Jaina, resting her head on my shoulder. Her hands searched for mine. She intertwined our fingers as soon as she found them.

"It was awesome, indeed. We should do this more often"

"Yes, we should". I pressed a soft kiss on her forehead, my thumbs stroked over the back of her hands.

"I noticed that you have a new wand. Where did you get it from?" I asked curiously. I didn't open my eyes. I was just enjoying feeling her body being pressed against mine.

"Could you do me a favour and don't ask me about anything which doesn't have to do with lovemaking? I would like to enjoy cuddling with you and doing nothing at all without speaking about unnecessary topics"

"As you wish, _Lady Proudmoore_ " I whispered and giggled, kissing her forehead. I had missed making love with her. The last time Jaina and I had shared a bed had been over twelve years ago, during the night before the events of Stratholme. At this very moment, I was glad that I still had her, that she was not gone forever for me. We had been separated for a long time but now we were together again and planned on staying together forever.

I moved my body a little after resting for a few hours. Jaina reacted instinctively and moved with me. We shifted our current position to the other side of the bed, arms wrapped around the other. She was resting her head on my chest, her left hand stroked my belly while the other was tangled in my hair and toyed with it.

"You seemed to really love my hair" I whispered and pressed a soft kiss on her temple, causing her to giggle and press herself closer against my body.

"Well, it doesn't have the nice blond colour it used to have but I still love it, like every part of your body" she said quietly and kissed my left shoulder.

"Every part and every inch?" I asked curiously with an unmistakable teasing tone in my voice.

"Yes, every inch" she responded with a similar voice, one of her hands reached down and touched a certain part of my body below my waistline, causing that a wave of pleasure rushed through my body. To my disappointment, she removed her hand quickly and put it back on my stomach, rubbing my well-defined muscles.

"I don't mind that you would rest your hand _there_ " I whispered in her ear and kissed it, biting her earlobe softly. She moaned quietly, her hand wandered downwards until it reached its destination, starting to work miracles there. I felt an immense amount of pleasure she was playing with my most sacred _item_. I ran my hands over her back and through her hair while she was satisfying me. I cried out her name when I released the built-up pleasure after a while.

I looked down at Jaina who was giving me a wide smirk, her beautiful blue eyes stared into mine. She bit her bottom lip softly, her tongue flickered over her lips as if she would moisten them which she couldn't because she was not alive and wasn't able to produce any form of saliva.

"Watcha looking at?" I asked, returning her smile.

"The most handsome man on Azeroth"

"It's a real compliment if it comes from the most beautiful woman which would ever exist" I spoke and stroked her left cheek with the back of her hand, leaning in to press a soft and passionate kiss on her lips. She smiled into the kiss and returned it, sneaking her tongue into my mouth. Our tongues passed the other and explore the other's mouth. She put one of her hands on the back of my head, wrapping some of my locks around her index finger. We kissed for a while, our for contact longing bodies were pressed together.

We moved away from the other after we had laid there for almost six hours. I sat up and put my trousers on, watching Jaina while she fixed her hair and put her panties on. She looked for her bra, giving me a good view when she bent down to check if it was lying on the floor. I regarded her amused, fished a locket out of my bag and put it around my neck.

It turned out that her bra was lying under one of the three armchairs. I admired her sexy ass when she bent down to pick it up, giving my best to not get turned on again by the nice view she was giving me. She stood up and turned around, allowing me to look at her front while she put her bra on.

"Did you enjoy the show?" she asked and smirked.

"Of course, I did"

"You owe me a similar show"

"On another day maybe"

"I'll get back to you on that"

I gave her a teasing smile, then I stood up from the bed and walked to her. Her eyes widened when she saw the item around my neck. She rushed to me and reached for the necklace with one hand, regarding it closely. She was quiet for a few moments but then she opened her mouth and spoke. "I can't believe that you have kept this after all those years... I have never expected to see it again". Her voice was very quiet, her face showed different expressions. A few tears formed in the corners of her eyes and ran down her cheek. I didn't hesitate and wiped them away. I put my arms around her shoulders, pressing her closely against my body.

"Of course, I have kept it. I would never throw it away. Never ever" I whispered and kissed her forehead. More tears ran down her cheeks but to my relief, they were happy tears. I took a handkerchief and wiped them away. "I have sworn to myself that I would always keep this necklace, no matter what would happen between us. You know better than anyone else that I always keep my promises"

"Oh, Arthas... I don't know what to say. I'm at a loss of words" she responded and sobbed quietly. I smiled weakly and ran my fingers through her blonde dyed hair.

"I had always known that there was always a part in you which had remained good even after the Lich King had taken control over your body and your mind. Nobody had believed me, everybody had told me more than one time that trying to reach you would be a waste of time and pure suicide. But I haven't given up. I haven't lost hope. I have always known that the Arthas I had known wasn't fully gone. Fortunately, I have found a way to reach you" she responded and brushed her fingers over the red crystal which was surrounded by layers of gold.

I didn't say anything in return. I just held her and caressed her cheeks while she regarded the locket, looking up at me every few minutes for a few moments. We were silent for half an hour, having closed our eyes while we enjoyed the body contact.

She gave me a hungry kiss after a while, not stopping until my lips were parted and her tongue invaded my mouth. I mimicked her actions, our tongues danced in the other's mouth, clearly fighting for dominance. She won after a battle which had lasted for at least five minutes. Pulling back, she gave me a victorious grin, ogling my abs for a short moment before she turned around and walked to the armchair on which her dress was lying.

She put her dress on, giving me a provocative smile when she recognized my disappointed face.

"Don't be sad, my love. You have seen me naked for quite some time. Not to mention the time in the bathtub" she said and approached me, running her hands over my muscular upper body.

"Yeah, I know honey. I know". I wrapped my arms around her waist, lifting her up. She put her hands on my shoulder's massaging them softly. She leaned in for another kiss, of course, I didn't deny her and returned the kiss. I sat her back on the floor after a couple of minutes, returning her happy smile.

"What are we doing now, my love?" I whispered in her ear, kissing a spot behind it softly.

"You won't believe me but I actually came to you to tell you something"

"And it turned out pretty well as we have witnessed" I mentioned with a cheeky grin on my lips.

"Hey, it's not my fault that I was distracted by you" she shouted out, pricking her index finger in my belly.

"Ah, so it's my fault that you couldn't resist my awesome body" I responded, sounding scandalized even though I wasn't.

"Don't exaggerate it, my love" she responded calmly, looking at me with a friendly smile on her lips.

"Fine, you got me" I lifted my arms in the air, signalizing her that I was surrendering.

"Told you, that I'm always right" she teased and pricked her index finger in my upper thigh.

"It would be unwise to argue with the girl I love who is causing so much pleasure for me" I teased back and kissed her neck softly.

"Do we continue to make out or I am finally allowed to tell you what I wanted to say in first place?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, if you ask me like this, I would choose the first option" I responded and grabbed her butt, kneading it softly through the fabric.

"Dammit Arthas, be serious for only one moment"

"Alright. I'm listening" I responded, taking my hands away and giving her an apologizing look. She waited until I had gotten dressed, then she pointed at the wand and said "This is Frostmourne"

"What?" I asked, giving her a confused look.

"We have found a way to remove the curse. I have cast an illusion spell on it so that it would look different for others. I didn't want that the people would break out in panic when they see this sword" she explained and pushed me into an armchair, taking a seat on another one so we could still look at each other while having a serious conversation.

"So, you have agreed to carry this sword with you. You know that this would be a burden for you, right? Are you sure that you want to do this? You could also give it to me" I suggested.

"No. I never want to see you holding this sword again. This sword has been the reason for your corruption and that our first reunion didn't work. I want to be together with you forever so I don't want to take the risk that this sword could still try to influence you. We have removed the curse but who knows what the Lich King is really capable off, who knows which precautions he had taken. I don't want to lose you again" she responded, giving me a sad look. I stood up and walked to her, bending down and taking her face in my hands. Her worried look vanished when my blue eyes found hers. She put her hands on mine, stroking the backs of them.

"I can understand that. Be careful Jaina. I don't want to see you on the Lich King's side either"

"Don't worry, I will be careful" she spoke quietly and pulled me in for a passionate kiss.


	25. First Try

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haven't imagined that this story would have twenty-five chapters as I have started writing the first chapter. I have to thank you for reading this story so far and I will promise that this story will continue. I don't know how long this story will be but I have planned at least five more chapters. 
> 
> Enjoy this chapter.

_Jaina's POV_

I opened my eyes when my ears recognized loud knocking sounds on our door. I tilted my head a little, looking at Arthas who was examining his new hammer. He didn't look up, nor did he intend to go to the door so I stood up and walked to it. I didn't hesitate and opened the door, my lips formed a happy smile when I recognized Vereesa and Shandris Feathermoon. I stepped aside, allowing them to enter the guest room in which Arthas and I were staying. I hugged Vereesa and did the same with Shandris, except that I wasn't kissing her forehead.

"Hello ladies" Arthas greeted, looking up for a short moment before he turned his attention back to the large hammer which was shining brightly.

They greeted him back and regarded him curiously while he used some sort of a spell on the hammer, causing that the golden shining became more intense.

"It seems that the light has found him again" statemented Vereesa and looked at Arthas for another moment before she turned her head and looked at me.

"Indeed, it does. It had all started two weeks ago. Suddenly, his left hand had begun to glow golden out of nowhere. Arthas was confused at first and was afraid that something bad would happen to him. He got used to it very quickly and became very happy when he found out that the light has not forsaken him forever. He is happier than ever that the light is giving him another chance" I explained.

My eyes hung on Arthas. I was regarding his thoughtful face when he tried to create a golden barrier around himself. He frowned and raised his eyebrows as the barrier disintegrated after holding out for almost two seconds. He put his hand under his chin, scratching his left cheek while he regarded his hammer.

"This is awesome and another proof that Arthas is on our side. The light wouldn't support him if he would intent to betray us. I can't wait to tell Varian about this. I'm pretty sure he will be entirely convinced that Arthas is not evil" cheered Vereesa and put her left arm around my shoulder, pulling me closer and hugging me from the side. I turned my head a little, looking in her eyes and giving her a small smile.

She returned the smile. Without her, surviving the period without Arthas would have been a lot harder. She had supported me, motivated me, given me strength and convinced me that I should never give up and keep chasing my goals. She had convinced me that I would get my Arthas back one day and that I should not rush it and be patient instead. She had drummed into me that overreacting and acting precipitately wouldn't help me at all. I didn't know what I would do, not to mention where I would be without her at this very moment. Vereesa was my best friend for a reason. I knew I could rely on her and ask for her help whenever I needed her.

"That would be awesome" I responded shortly and smiled.

"So, he is using the hammer as his primary weapon while you wield his former sword" statemented Shandris.

"Well, I won't fight with it in combat but I will carry it when we are getting close to the Scourge" I explained, wondering why she was having this questionable look on her face.

"Speaking of the Scourge" she responded but paused, looking around to make sure that she got Arthas' and my attention. "King Varian has sent us to tell you that he is allowing you to test the sword in an area where not a lot of members of the Scourge are staying. He wants to find out if the sword really works but he doesn't want to lose you again to the Scourge if it won't work. He doesn't want you to go anywhere near the citadel. I hope that you will listen to his advices"

"Of course, I will listen to him. I have no reason to disobey him. We had fought with teeth and nails to get his respect and trust so I would not even consider to disobey him. Besides, I'm also a little afraid that our plan doesn't work. It would be foolish to get close to Icecrown Citadel. Varian is right, it's better that we test Frostmourne first before we invade the heart of the Scourge" I responded.

"Then everything is alright" responded Shandris, smiling weakly.

"I'm guessing that you two are accompanying us"

"You are guessing right"

"Fine, then we shouldn't wait long and select a location where we want to test the new version of Frostmourne" I said and walked over to a desk on which a map was lying. Shandris and Vereesa followed me, even Arthas stood up and walked to the table. We regarded the map for a few moments, figuring out which place would be ideal for a test.

"We could try to take a village in the Borean Tundra" suggested Shandris.

"That's not a bad idea. We could also try to go to Grizzly Hills. There we could also try to convince the furbolgs to work with us. I don't think that we will able to convince the Drakkari trolls but the furbolgs are wise enough to listen to us" I responded, pointing at Grizzlemaw in the east of Grizzly Hills.

"That is also a good idea but there is also the risk that we could be ambushed by members of the Scourge who are hiding in this area. They could kill us faster than we could react" said Arthas with a worried expression on his face.

"Every skilled assassin everywhere could kill us before we would notice them. In theory at least. We have to take this risk if we want to see if Frostmourne is working. Besides, Vereesa and Shandris are rangers, meaning they have very fast reactions when it comes to approaching assassins who could attack us. I'm very positive that we will manage to get to Grizzlemaw without getting killed when they are around" I told, giving him a comforting look.

"I kinda like Jaina's suggestion" said Vereesa, putting her hand supportively on my back and rubbing it softly.

"Thank you" I responded and shifted my gaze between Shandris and Arthas, trying to read their expressions. They were indecisive at first but after a few minutes of talking, they were convinced by the idea.

"Fine, then we should go now if we really want to do this" announced Vereesa.

"Yes, we should but Arthas need to put his death knight armour on first before we go. Nobody would believe us if he would show up in his paladin armour" I responded and looked at Arthas, receiving a small nod from him. He walked to the wardrobe and opened the door, pulling the death knight armour out of it. He went to the bathroom and returned a few minutes later, this time wearing the death knight armour.

I took a few steps away from the table. I took my wand and began to cast a spell, creating a portal which would hold out for a few minutes. Shandris and Vereesa didn't hesitate to step through the portal. I took Arthas hand, regarding him with a small smile on my lips before I walked with him through that portal.

We came out in the middle of a forest. The natural brown ground was muddy and covered by a thin layer of plants. The separated trees around us were very tall and thick and the distances between them were very large. Although Grizzly Hills was under control of the Scourge, this area was everything but dull and ugly like the other territories in Northrend which were also controlled by the Scourge.

"This forest looks better than I have expected" whispered Shandris, running a hand over the rough bark of the nearest tree. "I can even hear the quiet whispering of the spirits of the woods. These trees are not dead like the many other trees in Northrend"

"It's good to see that nature is still alive in this area. Hopefully, we get the Scourge troops in this area under control before they will infest the plants, animals, and nature in general" said Vereesa and bent down to set a bark beetle on the palm of her hand. The beetle was twice the size of any other members of his species. Vereesa ran her index finger carefully over the back of this tiny and cute creature, smiling when the feelers of this curious insect touched her skin.

"I always wanted to know why all elves love nature so much. I mean I have adored in life too but I would have never observed insects for hours like some members of your races are doing" I said and walked to Vereesa, regarding her and the beetle with interest.

"Well, what shall I say. Almost every living creature on this planet is so adorable. It's a feast for the eyes to go in a colourful forest and regard the different kinds of animals and plans for hours" she responded and stood up, turning around to me.

"We are not here to regard the beauty of nature. We have to test if the sword is working correctly" statemented Shandris.

"She is right, we should go. If I remember correctly, the nearest outpost of the Scourge should be in the east. I'm pretty sure that we will find a few patrols on our way"

"I will follow your guidance, Jaina" said Arthas, giving me a smile. I smiled back, signalizing the others to follow me. We headed towards the east, leaving the forest after a period of time which had felt like half an hour. We stopped at the edge of the forest, checking our surroundings. Before us, healthy-looking grassland extended until the horizon. I spotted the outlines of a few villages on the right side and the outline of a large fortress in the middle of the grassland. A long and thick river ran along the fortress and reached to the horizon.

"What a beautiful view" muttered Arthas and made a few steps forward.

"Grizzly Hills is one of the few places in Northrend which doesn't look like a frozen wasteland. It is beautiful indeed but who knows for how long it remains so beautiful" responded Shandris and observed a herd of cows which were grazing not far away from us.

"We will make sure that the Scourge will not turn it into such a wasteland" said Arthas determinedly.

"Of course, we will" I shouted out.

We didn't wait long before we continued our journey to the east. The first hour passed without any incidents. Also, we saw no other creature in our near and no one attacked us.

We came closer to the fortress, still, no patrol crossed us. This was very strange because I knew that the Scourge kept a watch over their territories through many patrols which were following certain paths. What was also weird about this area, was that almost no wildlife could be found there. The last time I had been in Grizzly Hills, I had seen a lot of bears, deers, wild boars and other tall animals on such a grassland or in forests. I knew that something was wrong but I wasn't able to figure out what it was.

I noticed that Arthas, Vereesa and Shandris had also recognized that something was wrong with this area but they didn't say anything about it so I remained silent as well.

We came closer to the fortress. About nine hundred feet remained between us and the fortress which was taller than I had expected. As we got closer, I noticed that it was about six hundred feet tall and the walls were made out of simple stones. The front wall was heavily damaged, almost looking as if it was about to implode. There was a large tower from which's top a tattered flag was hanging. The flag's symbol was hardly discernible but I was still able to recognize the symbol of the Scourge as I took a closer look at it. I also noticed a few figures in front of the fortress' gate.

I recognized three skeletons, one lich and the mysterious man with the huge spiked-gauntlets I had seen for the first time during the battle of Warsong Hold. I still didn't know who this man was, not even my friends from the Alliance weren't able to tell me who he was. He had short black hair, piercing green eyes and an ugly scar which ran from the right corner of his right eye to his left ear. His mouth and chin which were covered by a red scarf. His skin colour looked a lot healthier than the pale skin colour of most undead creatures. His skin even seemed that it was a bit tanned. He looked so different compared to the average undead creature. I would have thought that he was still alive if I wouldn't have noticed that he wasn't breathing.

We stopped in front of the small group, Arthas stood a few steps in front of me while the others stopped behind me. I lifted the disguised wand and muttered a few words, causing that the illusion disappeared and Frostmourne's true form was revealed. The eyes of the lich and of the unknown man widened when they recognized the cursed runeblade.

"Why are you carrying the master's sword, Lady Proudmoore?" asked the lich, his high-pitched voice echoed.

"That's none of your business, servant" I shouted and lifted the sword in the air, signalizing the lich to bow to me.

"As you wish" he responded and bowed, lowering his skeletal head so that he was looking at the ground. I looked at the skeletons, noticing that they were also bowing to me. Even the unknown man showed that he was aware of my authority.

We didn't wait long and walked through the gate, coming to a courtyard which was filled with hundreds of undead creatures. Skeletons, ghouls, nerubians, vrykul and even val'kyries were in the yard. They looked at us, none of these creatures dared to approach Vereesa and Shandris nor did they dare to attack them like they normally would have done. I saw the hatred for the living in their eyes. Still, they refused to make a move thanks to Frostmourne's powerful magic.

"It works" Vereesa said quietly.

"It does, indeed" I said, keeping my voice low as well.

"So, what do we do now?" whispered Shandris, shifting her gaze from me to the numerous undead.

"Sending them back to Icecrown of course. We will retake the territories of the Scourge slowly until Icecrown is the only place where the members of the Scourge are allowed to stay" I responded quietly as well.

"Sounds like a good plan" said Arthas quietly and approached a small group of necromancers who shrink back whenever he made a step. I lifted Frostmourne in the air so that every creature was able to see it.

"Servants of the cold dark, members of the Scourge listen to me! I carry the mighty sword Frostmourne from now. The Lich King has transferred his power and position to me which makes me to your new master. Bow down to me and show me your loyalty, otherwise, you will be executed on spot" I shouted, my voice sounded rough, emotionless and determined. I shifted my gaze, looking at the groups of creatures while I gave them an expecting look.

None of these mindless creatures dared to oppose me, all of them bowed down to me and proved their loyalty. I noticed that the strange man had hesitated for a short moment before he had bowed down to me. I approached him, regarding him strictly.

"Who are you? I have seen you for the first time during the battle of the Warsong Hold. I'm curious to know who you are because Lord Menethil has never told me about you. Introduce yourself" I demanded.

"My name is Alon Hatewalker. I'm a high ranked member of your army. My current task is to watch over this fortress and make sure that the living won't conquer it back" he told and stood up as soon as I had given him the permission.

"Commander Hatewalker, why haven't I seen any patrols around the fortress? I have expected to meet three patrols at least but I have found not a single group. Would you be so kind and explain why there aren't any?"

"Err..." he began to stutter but was unable to bring a recognizable word out of his mouth. He was obviously afraid by my presence, my strict glare and the mighty sword in my hand. I wish I could be soft to him and ask him friendly but then people wouldn't believe me that I would be the leader of the Scourge. The intelligent servants of the Scourge like Kel'Thuzad or Blood Queen Lana'thel would figure out that something was wrong with me and they would try to get rid of me as soon as they recognize that I was only pretending to be on their side. I had to act as the cruel, cold leader of the Scourge if I wanted that people would follow me blindly. I looked at Arthas, noticing that he was feeling unwell in the Lich King's armour but he stayed calm and observed the scene.

"Would you calm down and give me a decent answer?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course, my Lady" he spoke, sounding more self-confident this time.

"MY QUEEN" I responded, not saying anything else. I stared at him, giving him an expecting and strict look.

"I'm sorry, my queen. I will give you a decent answer"

"Good"

"Actually, about five groups should be patrolling this area at this very moment. It really surprises me that you haven't seen any of them. There should be at least two groups near the gate. I could order the necromancers and mages to find out where the patrols are if you would wish that, my Queen"

"Do that" I responded with the same emotionless voice.

"As you wish my queen" he responded and bowed to me, walking away as fast as possible. He came back after almost five minutes, bowing to me once again. I signalized him that I wanted to hear what he wanted to say.

"The necromancers are using their magic to locate the patrols. They can tell you in a few minutes where the patrols are"

"Good, I want that the patrols return to this fortress as fast as possible. Prepare our troops for the departure. You will return to Icecrown Citadel as soon as possible" I replied, looking at Alon who wasn't hiding his surprise.

"Are you sure my queen?"

"Are you questioning my decisions?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course not" he assured, lifting his hands as his eyes asked for forgiveness. "I'm just wondering why we should return to the citadel. It has taken a lot of time and lives to conquer this fortress. It doesn't make sense to give it up for no reason. The living could easily take possession of it"

"One question commander. Have you heard of any living creatures which are active in Grizzly Hills and are not on our side? You have heard of any of them in the past months?

"No, I haven't"

"See, there is no reason to be worried"

"But..."

"Shut up commander. I don't care about your opinion. When I order you to evacuate the fortress then you will do it without asking questions. Is that clear?" my voice sounded very aggressively. I would never talk like that to any person I know but I had to act this way to make sure that the other undead creatures were really thinking that I was their queen. Judging by the looks on Alon's, Arthas', Vereesa's and Shandris' faces, I was playing my role perfectly.

"It is. I'm sorry for doubting you, my queen" he said weakly and lowered his head showing that he was deeply sorry to have doubted my decisions.

"Organize the departure" I said, making a dismissing gesture. He didn't hesitate and hurried towards the fortress' main building. He returned after five minutes with a group of mages and necromancers. We stayed on the same spot and watched the departure of the army. The last undead creature left the fortress an hour later, meaning that this fortress was not under the Scourge's control anymore.

I knew that this fortress was only one of many fortresses which were still occupied by the Scourge but this was still enough to make me proud about myself. I knew that it will require some time to shrink the influence of the Scourge but I won't stop until the Scourge is nothing more than a harmless kitten instead of a dangerous threat. I will make sure that the Scourge won't destroy more lives, no matter how long we will need to get every undead under our control.

We approached the fortress' main building, walking through the massive damaged doors. We came in a small lobby which had once been well-furnished. Many pieces of rubble were lying on the floor, the walls were having huge holes and the ceiling didn't exist, meaning that we were able to see the underside of the roof. We walked through the following corridor, keeping attention so that we wouldn't stumble over any piece of rubble.

Our destination was the largest room of the building. The room served as a meeting room for persons with a high military rank to discuss possible procedures. A large table with a map on its top stood in the middle of the room, the rest of the furniture was either destroyed or missing. Not even a single chair had survived the destruction so we had no other choice than gathering around the table and keep standing on the same spots.

Vereesa was the one who broke the awkward silence which had lasted since the departure. "I didn't know that you are such a good actress, Jaina. You have played your role convincingly real. I would have believed that you are the Lich Queen if I wouldn't know you. You did a very good job. The face the Scourge commander was making was priceless"

"She is right. This performance was one of the best performances I have ever seen. I don't think that anyone could have made it better. Not only did this commander believe you from the very beginning, but he also hasn't asked too many questions. You can be proud of yourself. This performance was a masterpiece" praised Shandris, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Thank you" I responded, giving them shy smiles.

"Don't you want to make a compliment about her abilities as an actress, Arthas?" asked Vereesa, putting her arm around my shoulder as she gave Arthas a questioning look.

"Well, I could but I had already made several compliments about her skills as an actress in the past. You must know that we used to take the piss out of Kael'thas Sunstrider. We made him believe that he would have a chance with Jaina. You should have seen the faces he had made each time when he had found out that we had fooled him. They were so priceless" responded Arthas.

Kael'thas had been the former prince of the high elves before the Scourge had invaded Quel'Thalas and had left the elves' home it in ruins. Kael had always kept an eye on me, he had even confessed to me that he had romantically feelings for me. But I had been deep in love with Arthas back then - and still was - so I couldn't have returned his feelings.

I had refused him, even though I hadn't wanted to hurt him. Kael'thas had never shown me any positive emotion since that day. I had felt sorry for him for a while and I had tried to comfort him when Arthas had invaded his kingdom and had killed his father Anasterian Sunstrider. I had tried to calm him down and stop him from doing something he would regret later but he had pushed me away and had insulted me for bedding the evil and stuff like that. In the end, Kael'thas had betrayed his people and joined the Burning Legion to fight the Scourge which led to his demise.

"As far as I remember, you were the one who mocked Kael'thas for not 'having' me. I have never rubbed it in his face" I responded, looking at Arthas who was giving me a wide grin.

"I would have envied you if I would have known you during your youth. Two handsome blonde princes had admired you. Both of them were rich, both of them were famous and I'm pretty sure that both of them were charming back then. A lot of girls and young women would have loved to be you back then" said Shandris.

"As cool as it sounds, it's not easy sometimes. I mean nobody would have hated having the attention of two famous princes. On the other hand, you would break the heart of one of them if you make a choice. Back then, I didn't want to break Kael'thas' heart but I have fallen in love with Arthas and his attempts to get my attention had become very annoying over time.

I'm not sure if I have already told you that Kael nearly caught us making out in a broom closet in the Violet Citadel"

"You haven't told us about that incident but you will have enough time for that when we get back from this mission" responded Vereesa, giving me a very wide smirk, which almost reached from one ear to the other. I chuckled and shook my head slightly, rolling my eyes with faked annoyance. I turned my head a little, noticing that Arthas was just staring at us with an exaggerated smile on his lips. I read it in his eyes that he was not sure what to respond so he had chosen to stay silent and regard us while showing us his brightest smile.

"We branched off the topic, once again. About what were we talking at first?" I asked.

"The conversation started with compliments about your acting skills, honey" explained Arthas, putting his arm around my waist.

"Yeah, right. I remember that. The answer to that is that I have taken a few acting lessons in Dalaran. Arthas had broken up with me thirteen years ago so I had more free time which I had to spend somehow. I couldn't just study the entire day back then. It had turned out that spending the entire day in a library hadn't been good for my health. I had needed a different activity to spend my time and relax a little. So, I went to an acting course, having hoped that it would distract me a little. I have noticed I was really enjoying these courses so I attended them every week. I would have never believed that the knowledge I would learn there would be useful one day" I told, my voice and facial expression didn't hide that I was a little proud of myself.

"I'm glad that you attended them. Your play was very impressive, my love" complimented Arthas.

"Thank you. Anyways, we have managed to free this fortress from the Scourge's control but that doesn't mean that we can relax. We have to free more territories, starting with Grizzly Hills. We have to meet up with the furbolgs and maybe even with the Drakkari trolls. We have to do the same with the other territories in Northrend. There is a lot of work waiting for us" I told looking at the others with a serious expression on my face, receiving serious nods from them.

"Let's meet up with the chief of the Frostpaws and..." I started but was not able to finish my sentence because the loud booming sound of an explosion echoed through the air and drowned me out. I turned around, immediately noticing the large hole in the wall behind us. Alon stepped through the hole, followed by several of Sylvanas' minions.

"GET THIS BASTARD AND KILL THE OTHERS. DEATH FOR THE LICH KING" he cried and pointed at Arthas. "VICTORY FOR SYLVANAS"


	26. Conflicts

Alon's men cried out and ran towards Arthas who lifted his hammer and squashed the head of the first forsaken with a forceful swing. The second forsaken raised his war axe, aiming for Arthas' head but he was dead before the axe's blade came even close to Arthas' handsome face. Two forsaken fell - Both of them were killed by precise arrows from Vereesa and Shandris.

Alon snarled when he recognized that almost half of his followers were dead and Arthas was still unharmed.

"I knew that something is fishy about you but I would have never believed that Sylvanas had managed to smuggle one of her agents in the ranks of the Scourge" I said and pointed Frostmourne's tip at his head.

The hand which held my wand began to glow slightly bluish. A large frostbolt appeared out of nowhere and flew towards Alon. He dodged the spell with ease, landing a few feet away from Arthas. The corner of his lips formed a small smile as he regarded us for a short moment. She sprinted forward, reaching Arthas within two seconds. Arthas blocked his first punch, the spiked fist rebounded off the war hammer's massive head.

Holy light flowed through Arthas when he prepared his counterattack. He smashed the head of his hammer in the ground, consecrating the floor beneath our feet. I jumped on the large table when I noticed that the blessed ground was also hurting me. Somehow, Arthas was immune to the burning light but the forsaken weren't. Alon jumped out of the radius and prevented that consecrated ground hurt him more.

The remaining five forsaken - four of them were mages and the last one was a warlock - cried out in pain. They started casting spells but the holy light beneath their feet weakened them so that they needed longer and their spells turned out to be a lot less effective than they should be.

I managed to protect us with a barrier which absorbed all four spells while Vereesa shot one of her stronger arrows at the warlock. The arrow pierced through his head, killing him immediately. One of the mages was killed by Shandris, the second mage died when a small ray of light pierced through his chest. The third was hit by one of my fire techniques and burned until nothing but ashes was left of him. The last mage ran away but his head was crushed before he reached the door.

None of us had killed the last mage. Alon was the one who had ended his life because he was very upset about his companion's attempt to escape.

"It seems that everything has to be done by myself" muttered Alon, speaking more to himself than to us.

"Come on and try it, rotten corpse" provoked Arthas. He was a bit too self-confident about his skills. He may have gotten no problem defeating Sylvanas' foot soldiers but Alon seemed to be on an entirely different level. The worst mistake we could do was to underestimate any of Sylvanas servants.

Fortunately, Arthas was not alone because I will do everything to protect him, no matter what it will cost

"I will smack you until nothing but mush is left of your ugly head" Alon cried out and aimed another punch at Arthas' head. Arthas made a sidestep but didn't avoid the hit. The spiked-gauntlet hit him on the left shoulder instead of the head. The impact of Alon's fist on Arthas paladin armour caused the creation of a powerful shockwave which flung Arthas against the nearest wall.

He groaned loudly when he fell on the ground. He was able to stand up but he was swaying a little when he moved. There was a lacerated wound on his forehead out of which blood was flowing out but it didn't bother him. Arthas' eyes were widened in surprise and he was showing that he was not afraid.

He picked his hammer up and asked for the help of the light. The light response was a golden barrier which appeared around Arthas' body and blocked the next punch from Alon.

The forsaken death knight was not happy about that, especially because this barrier blocked three more hits. Alon was making a grim face and dodged a small hail of arrows which would have hit him if his movements and reactions wouldn't be so fast. At least, he was too busy to dodge the arrows so that he was not able to avoid my large arcane blast.

The spell flung him away and caused that he crashed through the wall on the other side of the room. He managed to stand up very quickly but was hit two arrows. One hit him in the left shoulder, the other pierced through his left upper thigh.

The forsaken roared out loudly then he created an anti-magic shell around his body. This shell blocked my spells but it didn't prevent that more arrows hit him in the chest.

Arthas' war hammer surpassed the shell as well, causing that Alon staggered backwards when he got hit by the heavy weapon. Alon's eyes were widened when he looked down at himself, noticing the yawning wound in his torso.

"This is impossible... The Banshee Queen promised me that I'm invincible" Alon shouted out, making a few steps backwards to get some distance between him and us. His eyes told me that he was afraid. He was afraid of us and what we could do to him.

I had never seen signs of fear in the eyes of an undead creature. Seeing Alon in this condition proved that the forsaken knew the feeling of fear. This meant that the forsaken were no different than the mortals, at least if it comes to feeling negative emotions like fear, grief or anxiety.

Sylvanas had always thought that her forsaken were special but the truth was that they were not. They were just walking corpses who didn't need to eat or sleep and had a lot more stamina than the living. They can bleed, they can feel fear and they can die like every other creature. Alon was nothing but one of Sylvanas' pawns who will experience what will happen to anyone who dares to attack my Arthas.

I lifted my wand, creating a blue flame in front of my chest. I was about to ignite Alon and watch him burn when I felt Arthas' strong hand on my shoulder. I looked at him, noticing his tense expression. He tilted his head a little, signalizing me to not burn this death knight to ashes. I gave him a confused look, receiving a gentle and comforting smile in return.

I relaxed as I regarded his face for a short moment then I loosened the grip on my staff. I looked at Alon for a short moment before I extinguished the blue flames.

"It seems that the word of your queen means nothing" said Arthas calmly, regarding Alon closely.

"STOP UNDERRESTING ME, BASTARD" Alon cried out and charged forward, ready to crush Arthas' head with his gauntlets. Arthas snorted with laughter, the corner of his lips formed a provocative but also confident smirk. He sidestepped Alon's swings and buried his hammer in the man's chest.

Alon cried out in pain, another smash hit him and caused that he landed on the ground. He laid there, the wound in his chest was large, black blood flowed out of it. He was defeated but not dead - not really dead in this case. Arthas stepped next to him, looking down at him. He didn't even try to stop grinning mischievously at him.

"Don't worry, we won't kill you but we will take you with us to Stormwind City. We will need some answers from you" said Arthas, keeping eye contact with the beaten death knight.

"I will tell you NOTHING, BASTARD" Alon cried out, trying to stand up but the wound in his chest was too big and he had lost a lot of his power during the fight, meaning that he was unable to focus enough strength to get up. He just laid there and moved a little, each of his attempts to get up failed.

"We will see" Arthas replied simply, still looking at Alon with a provocative smile on his lips. I got closer to Alon, lifting my left arm to cast a spell. Arcane shackles came out of the floor and embraced the forsaken commander, tying him up so that he was unable to move.

A river of insults flowed out of his mouth but I silenced him by putting a magic gag in his mouth. I did this because I didn't want to hear his insults which were meant for the man I love.

"I can't believe that Sylvanas has sent her minions after us" spoke Arthas, regarding Alon for a short moment before he turned his gaze on us.

Vereesa was making a worried face. "I cannot believe that Sylvanas wanted to kill us all. Except for Arthas of course. She wants to torture him and make him pay for what he has done in her opinion. She doesn't care that the Lich King forced Arthas to invade Quel'Thalas and kill her. She only cares about her vengeance and would sacrifice everything and everyone to get it. It hurts me that she wants to see me dead too. I am her sister. I'm the only remaining member of our family and I have even promised her that I would support her no matter what will happen. But after finding out that my death would be acceptable as long as she gets Arthas, I'm not sure if I still want to be in contact with her. To be honest, I'm a bit afraid of what she would do to me, now that she knows that I'm working with you"

I approached her and rested my hands on her shoulders, giving her an assuring and comforting look. She stared into my eyes. The worried look vanished out of her face after a few moments. She stopped frowning. The corner of her lips formed a weak smile.

"Don't worry, Vereesa. We will make sure that no one will harm you in any way. We will protect you and find a way to deal with your sister" I said quietly, resting her head on my shoulder. I whispered a few comforting words in her ear while running my fingers through her silver hair.

"It's so difficult to get along with her. Suddenly, she is super friendly to me, shows sympathy and promises me that she will avenge Rhonin. And the next day she wants to kill me - her own sister - the only remaining member of our once glorious family. I can't comprehend what is going on in her mind nor do I want to understand her motives and her trains of thoughts. I just don't know what I should do in this situation" she responded quietly. A few tears ran down her cheeks.

I wiped them away and didn't stop to play with her hair. She was making a sad face and sobbed quietly. "I'm pretty sure that she thinks that I have betrayed her. First of all, because I haven't brought you back to her and because I'm working with you and Arthas instead of helping Sylvanas to capture Arthas. On the other hand, helping her would be wrong... You are my best friend but she is my sister and relies on me..." whispered Vereesa, making a short pause before she spoke further, "I wish I could go to her and help her to let go of the anger forever but I'm too afraid. I don't want to lose my life. I have two children who are needing me. I can't go to her. She is so unpredictable, who knows what she is capable of"

"You might be right in the point that she thinks that you have betrayed her. Out of her point of view, it makes sense but in total, working with us against the Scourge is the best for Azeroth and its inhabitants. Tens of thousands of lives could be spared if we manage to get the Scourge under control. We just have to make sure that the plan works out and that Sylvanas doesn't sabotage us. I think seeking her out would not help you at all. I don't want you to risk your life. You should maintain distance to her and wait until she realizes that we are not her enemy" I spoke, giving Vereesa another comforting hug.

"That's probably never going to happen. I don't see a scenario where Sylvanas would forgive Arthas. She will never accept that Arthas had little to do with her death and the fall of Quel'Thalas. He was the Lich King's vessel. Nothing more. He has been used by him. He was just a tool. But Sylvanas will never accept that. She has changed so much... I'm afraid there's only a small part of my lost sister left in her. She has changed so much. It's really hard to recognize her... I'm also afraid that she will turn into a merciless banshee, who walks over corpses to achieve her goals. I want her to be the sister I used to know. I know it would be selfish to demand this and it is almost impossible that this would happen but... I... I don't know" Vereesa paused for a short moment, reordering her thoughts. A tear ran down her cheek when she continued to speak. "I don't want to lose her but I don't think that I will be able to stop her from following the path of vengeance which could lead to her demise"

"We will find a solution for her, but for now we have to get the Scourge under control" said Arthas and gave us a weak smile. I gave him a nod, then I stared into Vereesa's beautiful blue high elf eyes for a few seconds to comfort her once again. She gave me a small smile, finally stepping backwards. "I'm sorry for bothering you"

"It's alright, Vereesa. I know that family can be really challenging sometimes. Anyways, let's bring our new prisoner to Stormwind before we go to the furbolgs. A lot of work is waiting for us" I responded, taking her hand and dragging her towards the room's exit.

* * *

Arthas dismounted from the skeletal horse he had been sitting on the past three days and walked to my skeletal horse. He took my hand and helped me to mount down - like a real gentleman. I smiled at him, kissing his cheek when I was standing on steady ground. He returned the smile and stared into my eyes. I didn't know how much time had passed when I averted my gaze and studied the tall creation in front of me.

It was the massive foot of a tree-trunk, which was hollowed out. The rest of the tree-trunk laid next to it, surrounded by a huge, dense forest. A wide spiral staircase had been built around the tree's bark. It was not even guarded, allowing anyone to reach the top of this odd habitat. I spotted a small entrance at the trunk's foot, at least it was guarded meaning that the furbolgs were still living there.

We tied the horses to a thin tree, Arthas took his hammer from his horses' saddle and put it on his back. He knew that he wouldn't need it because the furbolgs of the Frostpaw tribe wouldn't attack us but he preferred to be prepared instead of being unarmed. I was almost expecting an ambush from Sylvanas' men so I was glad that Arthas was careful as well.

We reached the entrance. The guards didn't even ask us about our request. They bowed to us, stepped aside and allowed us to pass. I looked at Vereesa, Shandris and Arthas, receiving quick nods from them. We walked through the gate and followed the inner spiral staircase to the highest level of the construct.

We saw more of these bear-man-like-creatures who were much taller than us. They had snow-white almost silver fur and behaved like intelligent creatures. Most of them regarded us curiously, only a few individuals were too busy, with doing something, to have noticed us. Those who had noticed us greeted us friendly. A small group of experienced guards came to us and escorted us to the hut of their leader.

I observed the huts inside as soon as we had entered it. The hut was made out of very firm brown wood, the floor was covered by furs of wolves and goats, carpets made out of spider-silk and thin blankets. We walked through the little entrance hall and a nicely furnished room which seemed to be the hut's living room.

We came to a much larger room in which middle a large table with seven chairs was standing. An older furbolg, I recognized as Brenow Snowclaw, was sitting on one of these chairs, his walking stick leaned against the side of his chair. Next to him sat another furbolg who was a lot younger and looked a lot healthier and burlier than Brenow. I didn't need to look twice to realize that the young one was Brenow's son.

The elder's lips formed a small smile when he noticed us. He put his left hand on his walking stick and stood up slowly. His back was bent, making him appear a lot smaller than the other members of his tribe. He lowered his head a little and signalized us to take a seat. I nodded and didn't hesitate to sit down. The others did the same and took a seat next to me.

I scrutinized the elder furbolg before I spoke "It has been a while since we last met, Brenow Snowclaw"

"Indeed, it has, Lady Proudmoore. I'm curious why you are visiting us this time. Do you need our warriors for another campaign? Or are you here because of another reason? Not all of your companions seem to belong to the Scourge. These two women are living creatures and not undead members of the Scourge. I'm curious why they are accompanying you" he responded and sat down, regarding Vereesa and Shandris with curiosity.

It surprised me that he hadn't heard that Arthas and I had broken free from the Scourge. Almost every creature on Azeroth had heard about it. Every creature except Brenow and the members of his clan. I didn't want to explain to him what happened but I knew I had to.

"One question after the other. No, we are not here because we need your warriors. Also, we aren't visiting you as ambassadors of the Scourge. Arthas and I don't belong to the Scourge anymore. We are cooperating with the Alliance and we want to talk to you because we are currently trying to reduce the Scourge's influence. We want to make sure the Scourge is no longer a threat for the creatures on Azeroth. We want to achieve control over the Scourge and gather all their forces in Icecrown. We want to make sure that these undead creatures won't ever leave Icecrown and stop harming or killing innocent creatures. Basically, we are here because we want to ask you to stop working with the Scourge" I leaned against the back of my chair as soon as I was done with explaining. He regarded us, his facial expression was unreadable.

"My clan and I owe the Scourge a lot. We may not agree with their goals and their methods but they have saved us from the extermination by the Redfang tribe. They enabled us to live in this beautiful city so that we don't have to hide anymore and move from one place to another. Without them, our tribe would have been wiped out by the Redfangs sooner or later" he explained.

My response followed quickly. "I know what they have done for you because I was there and have represented the Scourge during the negotiations. But you are forgetting one thing. The Scourge didn't do this to help you in the first place. The Scourge exterminated the Redfang tribe because their leader refused to work with them. The Scourge would have burned Grizzlemaw if you wouldn't have shown up and played into their hands. It was pure coincidence that they managed to establish a pact with you. You cannot trust the Scourge. They may have promised you that they will spare you, but one day they will come and kill every single person of your tribe. They will raise your people as their mindless pawns and will use them as cannon fodder. I'm pretty sure that you don't want that this would happen. Am I right?"

Brenow gulped, looking at his son for a short moment before he looked back at me. It was obviously written in his face that the truth of my words was troubling him. His' and his son's faces were speaking volumes. They were afraid of what could happen to their tribe and they were also afraid of what could happen to themselves. They didn't want to serve the Scourge forever in death. They wanted to rest in peace one day. They didn't want to live as haunted creatures who would do everything their superiors want from them.

They stared at us for a while, not saying anything at all. We didn't say anything either. I was looking at Arthas who was regarding the happening with a worried expression on his face. He gave me a small smile, but his gaze rested on the two furbolgs. The silence lasted for a few minutes but was finally broken my Brenow who seemed to have returned out of his thoughts.

"Well, to be honest, I don't trust the Scourge at all. I always knew that there was the chance that they will kill us one day but I have ignored it most of the time. The reason for that is that I would have taken almost every risk to guarantee that my tribe can live in peace. This means that I have kept my promise and proved my loyalty to the Scourge. I was hoping that they would never harm us but the truth is that they will kill us one day.

I know that my warriors have been sent to numerous campaigns and that they have fought in a lot of battles in the Scourge's name over the past year but besides that, most members of the Frostpaw tribe were able to live in peace without needing to fear that someone would attack us" he responded, making a short pause. "The question, I'm asking myself is: How long will we be able to live in peace or in this case, how long will we be able to live at all. I'm afraid that we will become mindless pawns of the Scourge one day"

"We are here because we want to give you an alternative. We want to suggest that you turn your back to the Scourge and join the Alliance. We will make sure that the Scourge will be no longer a threat for Azeroth and every creature which lives on it. We want to weaken the Scourge until we will be able to control them. But if we want to achieve our goal, we need your support. You have to do nothing at all, you only have to make sure that your warriors won't support them" I told.

I explained quickly how Frostmourne worked and how our plan looked like. "We can control the undead but we cannot control the living creatures which are still supporting the Scourge. Your tribe and the tribe of the Drakkari trolls are the Scourge's mightiest living allies. We need your support if we want to weaken the Scourge."

"Your words make sense" he statemented and regarded me with a thoughtful face. "Can you guarantee that no servant of the Scourge will ever harm us?" he asked, a hopeful look appeared on his face.

"We can send soldiers of the Alliance to Grizzlemaw. They will stay here and protect you as long as we need to gain full control over the Scourge" responded Vereesa.

"Hopefully, they are enough. I have heard that the Scourge has a really large army which is larger than any other army which had ever existed on Azeroth. I don't want to think about what would happen if their leaders find out that we are not working with them anymore" he said with a voice which sounded very weak and quiet.

"Don't worry, we will deal with the Scourge before they even notice that your tribe is no longer supporting them" I said promisingly and put my hand on his forearm. I gave him an assuring smile and received a small smile in return. He nodded weakly, looking at his son who gave him a small nod.

"Alright, I will tell my tribe that we stop cooperating with the Scourge. We will stop to send them resources like wood or iron and we stop sharing information with them" he responded. He took a sip of his tea and started to cough suddenly. His cough was not fake. It was real and I noticed by the way his chest was moving that he was having a serious health problem.

"Is everything okay?" I asked, giving him a worried look.

"Not really, but I have no other choice than hoping that my health will get better"

"Have you tried looking for a priest or a healer in general who could help you?"

Brenow started to cough again, this time it was a lot louder and heavier than the first time. His son answered for him, trying to help his father somehow. "We went to the shaman of our village but he has no clue what is wrong with my father. He has examined him more than three times but he still hasn't found the reason for this illness"

He put his arm around his father's shoulder, supporting him to prevent that he would fall from his chair. Suddenly, Brenow coughed blood. His son's eyes widened, his face reflected pure panic and worry.

"This doesn't look good, we should bring him to one of the best healers of the Alliance" suggested Shandris, looking at me. She didn't need to say anything to make me understand that I should create a portal to Stormwind City. I was not sure if traveling through portals would make Brenow's status worse but I didn't contradict Shandris and began to create a portal. I was done after almost five minutes, looking at Brenow whose chin was covered by his own blood.

"We will bring him to a healer, I would guess that you go to Drak'Tharon Keep and visit the queen of the Drakkari trolls. Hopefully, you will be able to convince her joining us too" announced Vereesa, carrying Brenow to the portal with the help of Shandris and Brenow's son. Vereesa glanced at me for a short moment before she disappeared with the others through the portal.

I turned around, looking at Arthas who was having a worried look on his face. "I have a bad feeling about this" he muttered and folded his arms in front of his chest.

"Me too. I'm hoping that the healers find a cure for his illness"

"Hopefully" he said quietly as he put his arm around my waist.

"We should visit the Drakkari trolls. I think that it will be a lot harder to convince them, considering that they don't like the Alliance or the Horde" I spoke. I closed the portal with one hand, then I opened another one by using the power which was saved in Frostmourne. We stepped through the portal, coming out in front of the enormous Drak'Tharon Keep.

My eyes widened, a suppressed sound came out of the back of my throat when I recognized the surroundings. What we were seeing looked more like a battlefield on which a massacre had happened than the beautiful area around the keep I remembered.

Hundreds of burned corpses of frost trolls laid on the ground which was covered by dark red blood. The staircase to the main entrance was destroyed. The keep was heavily damaged as if it had been under heavy siege for days. There were huge holes in the walls through which we were able to see the inside of the keep. More burned corpses laid on the ground but not all corpses were troll corpses. I also recognized dead bodies which belonged to the forsaken.

I stepped closer to the main entrance, noticing that remains of ashes from burnt bodies stuck on the walls and on the floor. I saw a few necromancers of the Scourge which were impaled on large wooden spikes which belonged to the keep's defence facility. I also saw a few necromancers which belonged to Sylvanas. They were dead as well. Their wounds told us that they had been killed by trolls.

"This doesn't look good" I hissed as I reached the destroyed staircase. I lifted my wand, tightening my grip on Frostmourne as I began to mutter a spell. A diagonal wall of ice was created which connected the blood-soaked ground with the floor of the first level.

We reached the main gate within a minute, spotting the corpse of a very tall and muscular troll. A familiar arrow stuck in his left eye and came out of the back of his head. I bent down, observing the arrow.

"Velonara" I muttered and pulled the arrow out of the troll's eye, destroying it with my bare hand.

"So, this is the proof that Sylvanas did this" statemented Arthas.

"It is. This arrow is definitely not a fake. It's almost impossible to recreate Velonara's or Sylvanas' arrows because they carve barely recognizable symbols in the wood of their arrows. I have seen their original arrows a lot of times over the past years that I can be sure that this arrow is not a fake" I explained. I got up and turned to Arthas who was holding his hammer with both hands.

"When did this happen and why?" he asked and checked our surroundings once again.

The blood is fresh. It was spilled maybe a few hours ago. The chance is pretty high that the attackers are still in the keep. I'm pretty sure that Sylvanas has ordered to attack the keep because she wants to weaken the Scourge as well but her purpose and methods are different than ours"

"We have to help the trolls and save their queen if she is still alive" shouted Arthas as he rushed through the entrance towards the massive slanted bridge which was covered by a lot of blood and dozens of corpses. He was in such a hurry that he didn't recognize the forsaken assassins who were standing on top of half destroyed columns.

They jumped down, landing on the ground without making a sound. Arthas didn't notice them so he continued to run towards the bridge.

"Arthas, behind you" I cried out warningly and cast a quick spell. A very large and thick ice-lance flew towards the undead, piercing through the chests of two of them.

Arthas turned around and smashed the head of the nearest assassin with his hammer. The second assassin managed to hit him but his armour was too firm for the blade, causing that it was shattered in the process. The assassin stared at Arthas in disbelief. This gave Arthas enough time to crush the assassin's chest with a quick hammer swing.

The last remaining assassin cried out and aimed for Arthas' head but he was dead before his blade came even close to its target. I had set him on fire and watched him burn with a satisfied smile on my lips.

Arthas gave me an impressed look, then his lips formed a small smile. I returned the smile, burning the corpses of the assassins before any necromancer could raise them.

"Shouldn't we storm this keep with reinforcements? I'm not sure if it's wise to go in alone against an unknown number of undead creatures" spoke Arthas, looking at me while I was getting closer to him.

"We don't have time for that. We have to make sure that the queen is safe before Velonara can do something to her" I responded and lifted Frostmourne and my wand

I brought them together and knocked their ends to the floor. I went on one knee and pressed my forehead against both weapons, muttering a few phrases. I completed my spell faster than I had expected, smiling at the result.

Five very large frost elementals appeared between me and Arthas. They were larger by a lot than my ordinary water elementals and looked a lot stronger. I gave Arthas a small nod, signalizing him that I was ready for battle.

He returned the nod and turned around, starting to climb the stairs as fast as possible. We reached the second level without getting interrupted by any backstabbing assassins.

The floor of the second level was covered with a lot more remains of corpses than the floor of the first level. We spotted a bunch of troll corpses which were piled up in front of the throne room's entrance. A few necromancers stood behind the pile and were casting a spell to raise these slain trolls.

This was another sign that the attack on this keep hadn't happened too long ago. Otherwise, the necromancers would have already finished raising the corpses.

One of the necromancers noticed us and shouted something in an unknown language. Suddenly, eight of Sylvanas' dark rangers stepped out of the shadows. They didn't hesitate long, after they had revealed their forms, and shot arrows at us.

I reacted quickly, shielding us with an arcane barrier. Two forsaken mages appeared out of nowhere and began to cast spells whose purpose was to destroy my barrier. I strengthened the barrier so that it would hold out longer while my frost elementals shot a bunch of shark ice spikes at the forsaken. The two mages died immediately because three of these ice spikes had pierced their brains -

Two of the dark rangers were set on fire by me, one was hit by an ice-spike while the body of another was crushed by Arthas' hammer.

Arthas had taken advantage that the ranged fighters had been busy dealing with my barrier - and had sprinted towards the pile of corpses. Arthas hit another dark ranger with a quick swing but he survived the attack somehow. That surprised Arthas, me and even the ranger himself.

Arthas killed him with the second strike but was hit by one of the other remaining archers. The arrow had pierced through his armour and hit him in the left side of his hip. Arthas ignored the arrow and the amount of blood which floated out of the wound. The pain he was feeling was reflected by his face but he wasn't crying out or making any other sound.

He gritted his teeth and created a barely recognizable weak barrier. The barrier dissolved immediately after having blocked the arrow, making him defenceless against other arrows. I didn't know why Arthas' attempt to shield himself hadn't worked. I only knew that it was my task to protect Arthas by every means.

I cast a frost barrier around him which was strong enough to hold out against a few arrows. This barrier will also slow down any melee fighters who dared to approach him.

With the help of my frost elementals, Arthas and I were able to kill the dark rangers and even the necromancers before they were able to complete their spell.

I burned the corpses before we entered the throne room. My eyes widened, a shocked cry escaped my lips when I saw the scene in front of us.

The floor was covered with hundreds of corpses of trolls and forsaken. A lot of these corpses were so incredibly mutilated that it was hard for us to recognize that they had once been humanoid creatures. The remains of the corpses were swimming in a small ocean of blood. The smell would have been unbearable for any living creature but it didn't bother me and Arthas because we are both dead as well.

In the middle of the room stood Dark Ranger Velonara who was surrounded by five abominations. She was holding a knife in her hand which was pressed against the throat of Alrei. The frost troll queen had been forced to stand on her knees. Her priest robe was left in pieces, revealing lots of pale blue skin. Her body was covered by bruises and wounds, one of her eyes was swollen and blood flowed out of her broken nose.

Alrei's good eye rested on me, her lips were formed to a thin line - All in all, she was signalizing me that she was not afraid of Velonara and not afraid of dying.

"You don't need to do this, Velonara" I shouted, positioning the frost elementals in front of Arthas and me so that they would serve as a protective wall against any arrow.

"Tell me why I should spare her, Proudmoore" she shouted and pressed the sharp edge of the knife harder against queen's throat, causing that a little amount of blood flowed out, eventually dropping into the ocean of blood.

"She has done nothing wrong. She didn't hurt you or Sylvanas" I shouted and looked at Arthas who gritted his teeth and pointed his hammer in Velonara's direction.

"She has allied herself with the Scourge which makes her to our enemy. Everyone who is working with the Scourge is the enemy of the Forsaken. That includes you and your bastard of a lover" she hissed aggressively, glancing at Arthas contemptuously.

"I would have negotiated with the Drakkari trolls. I would have tried to convince them to stop working for the Scourge. But now it is too late because you slaughtered almost the entire tribe" I shouted back and gave her an angry look.

I wish I could do something to save the queen but, in this situation, talking with this crazy bitch was the only option I had. She would slit the queen's throat if I would do any move. I could only try to talk to her. I assumed that she wouldn't listen to me but I had to try it. I had to.

Velonara's response followed quickly. "The Drakkari trolls would never ally themselves with the living. The chance that Arthas and I would become lovers would be higher than the chances that this troll would work with the Alliance or the Horde.

"You couldn't have known that for sure" shouted Arthas, making a few steps forward.

Velonara ignored Arthas and looked at me when she formulated a response. "Well as you have said, it is too late. We will never know if she ever would have worked with any of us".

She gave me a wide and provocative smirk before she cut Alrei's throat without a warning.


	27. Revelations

_Arthas' POV_

Velonara gave us a provocative smile as her red eyes rested on us and watched us closely. She pushed the troll queen's body forward so that it landed on the floor. Alrei pressed her hands on her slit throat. Her eyes were widened in shock. Her mouth was wide open but no sound came out. She lifted her hand, trying to cast a spell but Velonara stepped on her arm, preventing whatever she was trying to cast.

I ran towards the dark ranger, raising my hammer behind my head for a massive swing. The dark ranger recognized what I was about to do and jumped away, getting out of my range. She shot an arrow at me but a barrier, created by Jaina, appeared around my body and prevented that I was hit.

I reached the troll and bent down to lift her up a little. I noticed that she had already lost a lot of blood which explained her very pale face. I closed my eyes and pressed my hands on the wound. I silently called for the light's aid, hoping that it wouldn't let me down. I received an answer in form of a long-forgotten power which rushed through my body.

I opened my eyes and recognized that my hands were glowing brightly golden. I pressed my hands on her throat, praying that the light would be able to close her wound. The light had abandoned me when I had purged Stratholme but this time it didn't leave me.

It was a real miracle that I was able to heal her wound before the last sign of life had vanished. I had done the impossible. I had saved a woman who would have died under any other circumstances. No one should have been able to survive so long but Alrei had held out long enough so that I had been able to save her.

She was looking at me with huge eyes and a weak smile on her pale lips. I lifted her up, standing up while I was holding her in my arms. I looked at Jaina who was sending spell after spell at Velonara. The dark ranger got hit by a few of them but managed to avoid the deadliest ones - fire spells in this case.

I noticed that the abominations had finally started to move. I was wondering why they hadn't moved earlier. They could have attacked me when I took care of Alrei.

Maybe Velonara wanted to know if the light was really supporting me. Maybe she had just underestimated me and had assumed that I wouldn't be able to save the queen's life. It didn't matter what she had thought. The troll queen was safe, for now at least. That was all that mattered.

The abominations came closer to us. The weapons they held in their arms were raised above their heads as if they wanted to execute their deadly attacks from above. I turned my head a little, looking at Jaina who had already started to cast a spell. The frost elementals were throwing ice-spikes at the abominations, slowing them down and buying Jaina more time.

The first abomination reached the largest elemental who was standing in front of the others. The fight between them escalated quickly. The frost elemental was beheaded by the massive cleaver which the abomination held in one of its three hands. At least, this abomination was killed quickly by the four remaining elementals.

I wish that I was able to help them because my, through light strengthened, hammer would be very against them but I had to take care of Alrei. I couldn't be sure that there were no hidden assassins around us who would be waiting that I would place the troll queen on the ground and join the fight. Instead of fighting, I wrapped a golden barrier around us. I walked to Jaina who signalized me that she was almost done with the channelling of her spell.

I saw the arrow too late which flew towards us. Even if I would have seen it earlier, I wouldn't have been able to do anything against it - not with the unconscious Alrei in my arms.

The arrow dashed through the air and hit Jaina in the left shoulder. I shouted her name. She cried out loudly, her face was distorted in pain. I rushed to her but stopped when she signalized me that she was alright.

She interrupted her channelling and created a barrier which had the form of a dome and was large enough to protect us and the frost elementals from any arrow.

The only two remaining frost elementals were fighting against three abominations. The other two laid dead on the ground, their heads were spiked with ice-splinters which came out of the other sides of their heads. The frost elementals lost against the abominations, at least they managed to take out two of them so that only one remained.

Jaina shrunk the barrier until it was only large enough to protect us. Neither the abomination. Nor the fallen elementals. Only us.

Velonara regarded us curiously while she was performing some sort of a spell. I had heard that Sylvanas and her dark rangers were able to use dark magic so I was curious about what she was doing.

She created a large black sphere and flung it at us. The sphere collided with the barrier, destroying it when it exploded. Velonara didn't hesitate and shot two arrows at us at the same time. I knew that Jaina was not able to block it this time because she was busy completing the spell she had begun to cast earlier.

I jumped in front of her, turning around so that the arrows hit me in the back. Their tips pierced through my armour and skin. I wasn't able to prevent that a painful sound slipped out of my throat. At least it was barely hearable through my gritted teeth.

Jaina was giving me a worried look which didn't vanish even though my eyes and my weak smile signalized her that I was alright. I heard that another arrow was shot by Velonara. Fortunately, Jaina managed to complete her spell before the arrow would have hit me. She managed to teleport us out of the throne room at the last moment.

We arrived in the throne room of Stormwind Keep. Varian, who was sitting on his throne and was reading a document, looked up as soon as he noticed our presence. His face was a mask of worry when he regarded us with widened eyes. He put the document one the armrest of his throne, standing up and approaching us without hesitation.

"Arthas, Jaina... What is going on? What happened to you?"

"Dark Ranger Velonara attacked the Drakkari trolls. She led the forces of the Banshee Queen and attacked Drak'Tharon Keep" responded Jaina while she regarded the arrows in my back with worry.

"Are you serious?" he asked, making a face as if he wasn't believing what his ears had heard.

"Yes, I am serious"

"I can't believe that Sylvanas would do this... What happened exactly in Drak'Tharon Keep?"

"The Forsaken managed to conquer the keep. Hundreds of trolls had gotten killed. They fought hard and managed to kill a lot of Forsaken in return but they were outnumbered by the Forsaken so they had no chance against them. We don't know if there are any survivors. I haven't examined the corpses, to be honest, but I'm pretty sure that I only saw the corpses or the remains of corpses of warriors. I assume that there were no women and children among them but I can't be sure" I responded, holding my gaze on Varian as long as I talked.

I looked at Jaina, noticing that she was still examining the arrows in my back "We need to pull the arrows out before I can close the wounds" she announced.

"I'm fine. We can do that later, honey" I responded. Jaina was about to protest but Varian cut her off by asking a question. "Who is this?"

He pointed at Alrei.

"This is Queen Alrei of the Drakkari tribe. Velonara had tried to kill her but Arthas performed a miracle and saved her somehow although her throat was slit" explained Jaina. She looked at me as she asked: "How did you even do that?"

"I don't know, to be honest. I just asked for the light's aid and then I felt a long-lost power returning to me. I concentrated this power and closed her wound before she bled to death". I didn't hesitate and gave the Alrei to a male human priest who came to us at this very moment.

He took her carefully, making sure that she laid safe and steady in his arms. He told me that he will take care of her, then he hurried away. I looked back at Varian, noticing that the worried look was remaining on his face.

"This is not good... Not good at all" he whispered quietly and rubbed his chin with his left hand.

"We can assume that Sylvanas knows that we are working with you, Varian. She will demand that you will hand Arthas over. Either Sylvanas and the Forsaken are declaring war on the Alliance or she and the Horde do so. In any case, we have a problem. We are already busy getting control over the Scourge, we can't allow that Sylvanas declares war on us" said Jaina, glancing worriedly at me.

"We have to get prepared for a possible attack from the Horde. I have to speak up with the other leaders of the Alliance. I'm pretty sure that we have to meet the Banshee Queen and talk with her. It will be hard to reach her and almost impossible to convince her with logical arguments that you are not evil anymore, Arthas. But we have to try it because we can't risk another war"

"It would be great if you would do that, King Varian. I would suggest that Jaina and I are conquering more areas of the Scourge for the Alliance in the meantime. We have to get rid of the Scourge no matter if the Banshee Queen will attack us or not. Maybe she will notice that I'm not her enemy if Jaina and I make the Scourge harmless"

"I doubt that she would do that but you have to try it. At least the sword is working"

"Yes, it worked perfectly. All members of the Scourge in the fortress, we have tested, went back to Icecrown. We got attacked by one of Sylvanas' best assassins but I assume that Vereesa and Shandris had already informed you about this" explained Jaina.

Varian nodded his head as a response. "Yes, they did. They brought the leader of the Frostpaw tribe to us a few hours earlier. They brought them to a healer and told me everything. I know about the happenings in the Scourge fortress and the negotiations with the furbolgs"

"Do the healers know what is wrong with him? Have they found out the reason for his sudden coughing fit?" asked Jaina.

"I don't know how he is doing. We could go to the hospital and check if he is alright or not" suggested Varian.

"First of all, we need to treat Arthas' wounds. He doesn't need to be in pain any longer than necessary" responded Jaina.

"I told you that I'm fine, Jaina"

"Even if you are fine, we have to remove them. You need to take your armour off" she said insistently, giving me a determined look. I knew immediately that I couldn't talk myself out of this. I knew better than anybody else that Jaina could be very stubborn. If she had decided something, she would do anything to put it through.

"Fine, you can remove them but I won't take my armour off in the middle of the throne room" I responded, receiving a satisfied smile from Jaina.

"You could go to one of the guest rooms or you go to your room. It's your choice" suggested Varian.

"We will go to our room and meet you in the hospital as soon as we are done. See you later, Varian" said Jaina and took my hand, dragging me towards the corridor on the right side of the throne room.

"See you later" Varian responded quietly and returned to his throne, picking up the document and beginning to read it again. We went through the long corridor, eventually arriving at our room. Jaina snapped her fingers, causing that a bluish glowing key appeared in her left hand. She unlocked the door with it. She opened it and signalized me to ender. I chuckled and walked through the door, taking a seat on our king-sized bed. She closed the door and approached me.

Instead of sitting behind me and observe the arrows, she sat in my lap and put her head on my shoulder, wrapping her arms around my upper body. We said nothing, even though Jaina acted as if she wanted to say something.

We remained silent for a few minutes, eventually pulling away. Jaina got off my lap and crawled around me until she sat behind me. She touched the arrows carefully and began to mutter a few phrases. I turned my head a little, watching her while she performed this spell with her eyes closed.

The arrows dissolved slowly after a few minutes, even the pain began to fade until I barely felt it anymore. She didn't need to tell me that I should remove my upper body armour because I had already started as soon as I hadn't felt the arrows anymore. She pressed her cold hands against my exposed back, running them over the uninjured skin before she pressed them carefully on the small wounds.

She closed her eyes again and began to mutter a few phrases in a different language. The pain was fully taken away from me and my wounds were closed during the process. Jaina opened her eyes as soon as it was over, giving me a small smile. I smiled back at her, turning around and putting my hands on her cheeks.

"Thank you, Jaina" I whispered and pulled her closer, placing a kiss on her soft lips. She didn't hesitate and returned the kiss. She allowed me to stick my tongue in her mouth, giving me the opportunity to explore every corner of her mouth. She slid her own tongue in my mouth and explored it as well.

Our tongues wrestled but none of us seemed to be the clear winner in this fight for dominance. Sometimes, her tongue was dominating and sometimes it was mine which had the upper hand. Our kiss held for a while, my hands rested on her shoulders and massaged them carefully while her hands caressed my stomach muscles.

She pulled away eventually, regarding me with a shy smile on her lips. I put a strand of hair behind her ear, rubbing her right cheek softly. Her smile became wider and more confident. She was not able to hide her lust but her face signalized as well that she knew that this was not the right time to do this.

She stood up, kissing my cheek softly before she picked up my upper body armour and handed it to me. I nodded and put it on, following her to the room's door. She opened the door and closed it when we left the room.

We walked along the long corridor until we reached one of the keep's side exits. We walked through it, coming out in a beautiful garden. I noticed dozens of beautiful plants which were surrounding us. I wish I could touch the leaves of the beautiful golden roses to my left but I knew that each plant would wilt if I touch it.

Jaina didn't seem to have a problem with touching them. They didn't wilt nor did they got damaged when she touched them. She looked around, making sure that no one was watching us. She picked one of the golden roses and performed a quick spell on it, handing it to me then.

I smiled at her and regarded the rose for a short moment. I touched one of the leaves with the tip of my index finger. My smile became wider when I noticed that it didn't wilt. I put a strand of golden hair behind Jaina's ear and placed the stalk of the rose on her ear.

I ran my fingers through her wonderful hair, giving her a complimented about the beautiful colour of her majestic hair. She thanked me and put a quick kiss on my cheek, then she signalized me that we should go to the hospital. I nodded and took her hand, walking with her out of the garden.

We came to a street which was half filled with passengers. Most of them ignored us, only a few of them looked at us in surprise. I noticed that they were regarding the rose with curiosity.

We walked through the streets as fast as we could, reaching the hospital after a walk of ten minutes. The hospital was a building made out of simple stones. The building was almost as tall as Stormwind Keep but not as wide and as long as it. I didn't need to look twice at it to notice that a magical, almost unrecognizable barrier enclosed the building. I also spotted lots of guards which were positioned around it.

We walked to the five soldiers who guarded the hospital's entrance. They nodded to us, signalizing us that we were allowed to enter. I nodded in return and walked through the entrance.

We came into the hospital's lobby, spotting a few injured creatures who were sitting on wooden chairs which were standing in the room's middle. We walked to the reception on the right side of the room and greeted the male night elf who was standing behind it. He was wearing a white coat and a beautiful golden necklace. He smiled at us, greeting us politely.

"How can I help you?" he asked, his voice sounded fruity. He took a pen from the desk and scribbled a quick note on a half-completed document.

"We are looking for an elder furbolg with white fur. His name is Brenow Snowclaw. King Varian told me that he was brought to this place a few hours ago" responded Jaina.

The elf signalized that he needed a moment. He turned around and picked up a clipboard with a list from a small table. He flicked through the first pages until he found the page he was looking for.

He studied the page for a few short moments, then he looked up at us and responded "Yes, he has been brought to this hospital. You can find him in the room with the number one hundred and fourteen on the second floor"

"Thank you" responded Jaina. She took my hand, giving the elf a thankful nod before she started to walk with me towards the corridor on the other side of the room.

"No problem" answered the night elf and regarded us. We reached the corridor and walked through it until we came to a staircase. We climbed the stairs and arrived on the second floor. We didn't need long to find the room -It was on the right side not far away from the staircase.

We knocked at the door, waiting in front of it until we got a response. The door was opened after a few moments. Brenow's son looked at out and regarded us with a worried expression on his face. He invited us to come in and closed the door behind us when we entered the room.

We spotted his father lying in a comfortable bed, a thick white blanket covered his body. His eyes were closed, his breaths were slow but steady. We came closer to the bed, looking at him for a few moments before we shifted our gazes to his son.

"How is he?" asked Jaina. The worried look on her face couldn't have been missed by any of us.

"He is doing better since the doctors figured out the reason for his sudden coughing fit. They gave him something which really helped him. They told me that it's not over yet but his life is not in danger anymore. His situation is getting better with each passing hour" he explained and looked at his father for a long moment before he looked back at us.

"I'm Orso by the way. I'm glad that you are looking after him. He is the only family I have. I wouldn't know what I would do if I would lose him". His voice was a lot quieter and sounded sadder than before. I didn't miss the tear which ran down his cheek. He wiped it away with the back of his hand, pretending that it didn't happen. I placed my hand on his shoulder, giving him a comforting look when he looked up at me.

"Everything is going to be fine" promised Jaina and gave him a small but confident smile.

"Thank you, Lady Proudmoore. Thank you, Lord Menethil"

"Please call us Jaina and Arthas. We are no strangers to you and we will support you and your tribe. We will hold the Banshee Queen liable for another assassination attempt on a popular and loved person" assured Jaina, giving the furbolg another smile.

"How do you know that it was the Banshee Queen? I haven't even told you that a priest told me that my father has been poisoned by typical forsaken poison" responded Orso.

Jaina chuckled about his confused expression. "Well, I've counted two and two together. The Banshee Queen ordered the attack on Drakkari tribe. She nearly killed the entire tribe and almost assassinated their queen. Arthas saved her at the last moment. You should know that poison is a woman's weapon and a very popular weapon among the Forsaken. Dark Ranger Velonara had proofed my assumption that Sylvanas had ordered the attack on the Drakkari tribe because they had allied themselves with the Scourge. She wants to weaken the Scourge by getting rid of her allies first. She ordered the annihilation of an entire tribe so she wouldn't' shrink back from poisoning the leader of another"

"But that doesn't explain why she wanted to kill my father with poison. She could have extinguished our entire tribe as she tried with the Drakkari trolls" responded Orso, making a thoughtful face as if he was trying to find a logical explanation.

"Hmm, that's a good question indeed" I said quietly, making a thoughtful face as well.

"Maybe... I don't know. Is there any chance that you didn't agree with your father's decision to work with the Scourge?" asked Jaina and regarded Orso curiously.

"Well, I didn't agree with him at first but later I accepted his decision. I may not like the Scourge but I would rather serve them voluntarily instead of being raised by them. It is not optimal because the Scourge could turn us to mindless servants whenever they want. But it's better than being dead" Orso told, still giving us a confused look.

"I think that Sylvanas had found out about your disapproval and made a plan to get you on her side. I assume that her plan was to kill your father and let it look like the Scourge did it. Then she would have met up with you and would have tried to convince you to join the Horde against the Scourge. You were against the cooperation with the Scourge from the beginning so she was assuming that you would join her to avenge your father". Jaina's gaze rested for a few moments on the young furbolg after she was done with telling her interpretation of Sylvanas' motives and actions. She looked at me, her eyes stared into mine. Her look appeared to demand an answer as if she was asking me silently to tell my opinion about her interpretation.

"That would make sense. I didn't know that this evil banshee would use such weapons. Her plan was very well thought out" I commented, putting my arm around Jaina's back.

"If I have learned one thing over the past years then it is that you should never underestimate the Banshee Queen. She is a very intelligent but also merciless person. She would do everything to weaken the Scourge not to mention that she wants to kill you, Arthas. I have the bad feeling that she would cause a lot of problems for us in the future" spoke Jaina and wrapped her arms around my upper body, giving me a worried look.

I looked down at her, my eyes were telling her that she didn't need to be worried about me because I can take care of myself. The worry didn't fade out of her face, so I leaned in and pressed a soft kiss on her lips, receiving a gasp from her. She returned the kiss and deepened it, inserting her tongue in my mouth. She pulled away when Orso cleared his throat. He was looking embarrassed at his feet, arms crossed behind his back.

"What are you going to do about the Banshee Queen? We can't allow that she will get out unpunished after she had tried to murder my father and the queen of the Drakkari"

"I don't know Orso. We have to meet with King Varian first and tell him about our new realizations. We will speak with the other leaders of the Alliance and come to a conclusion. You have to know that we cannot risk a war with the Horde. But you are right too. We cannot allow that the Banshee Queen gets away, not after everything she has done" spoke Jaina, receiving confirming nods from me and Orso.

"I'm here, you don't need to look for me" the unusual high-pitched voice of Varian sounded. He stood in the door, his hands were resting on his upper thigh and his back was bent forward. He was breathing heavily and his face was red and sweaty.

The only explanation was that he had sprinted the entire way from the keep to this hospital, which could only mean that he had received important news he would like to share with us.

Jaina was the one who began to speak "Varian you look very exhausted. Why were you in such a hurry? This could only mean that something bad had happened, otherwise you would have just ordered us to meet you but you came to us instead. So, what is wrong?"

Varian wanted to say something in response but only unrecognizable and panting sounds came out of his mouth. Jaina signalized him to calm down first, giving him a worried look. Varian needed a few moments to calm down, his chest was still rising up and dropping faster than normal but he was able to produce recognizable words again. "I had received a report from Spymaster Shaw in which he had explained that the Forsaken were responsible for the attacks on villages in the east of Stormwind"

"Are you serious? Is that really true?" asked Jaina, her facial expression was a mix of worry, shock and surprise.

"Yes, it is. One of Shaw's agents had followed the traces of the ghouls to a well-hidden hideout. He had sneaked in and listened to these ghouls. He found out that these ghouls were disguised assassins of the Forsaken" he explained, taking a seat on one of the chairs on the left side of the room. His breathing was still fast and uncontrolled but he didn't look exhausted anymore.

"So, Sylvanas let it look like the Scourge did this to gain your support. She wants to wipe out the Scourge but in secret, she also wants to harm the Alliance for working with me. She kills two birds with one stone if she continues to attack villages. She harms the Alliance but also the Scourge in the end. I have to admit that she is very clever" I concluded.

"Are you admiring her?" asked Varian, giving me a confused look.

"No, of course not. I just wanted to say that she is a very good strategist. Of course, she hadn't anticipated that we find out about her wicked intrigues so soon"

"Now, we have to figure out what we do. Sylvanas has tried to assassinate leaders of former allies of the Scourge and she is also responsible for the deaths of innocent villagers" said Varian.

"We cannot risk a war with the Banshee Queen, at least not if the Horde supports her" commented Jaina.

"We have to find out if the Horde agrees with her actions. Maybe they will kick her out if she continues to act like this" I said.

"That wouldn't make sense at all. I don't know what is going on in the Warchief's mind but I don't think that he would punish her for attacking our villages even though the Horde is supposed to be at peace with us" commented Varian, making a thoughtful face.

"Do you have any suggestions what we do now, knowing that Sylvanas wouldn't mind risking a war?" asked Jaina, shifting her gaze between us. She also looked at Orso who was making a thoughtful face as well.

"The other leaders and I should meet up with the Horde and talk with them. We can't allow that more innocent people are getting hurt or even die only because the Banshee Queen doesn't know her limits. This has to stop before more people die" announced Varian with a strong and self-confident voice.

"You know that Sylvanas will mention that you are working with me. She will call you a friend of the Scourge and blame you for working with them. She will try to stir up the Horde against the Alliance"

"Don't worry, Arthas. I will make sure that everything is going to be fine. I will find the right words to prevent an unnecessary war between us and the Horde. I will convince them that we are doing everything to keep the Scourge under control. When it starts to get rough, I will tell them what Jaina is able to do with the cleansed Frostmourne" told Varian, not hiding his confidence in us and himself.

"So, I will demonstrate them the power of Frostmourne, right?" Jaina asked.

"Yes, you will. If it is necessary. IF" replied Varian.

"I'm pretty sure that you will inform the other leaders of the Alliance first before you send a writing to Orgrimmar, right?" spoke Jaina.

"Yes, I will"

"In the meantime, Arthas and I will free a few more villages to test Frostmourne before we go to Icecrown and use it there."

"That's a very good idea, Jaina. You can go for it right now if you want"

"See you soon" responded Jaina and took my hand, nodding to Varian and Orso before she dragged me to the room's exit.


	28. Differences

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning

_Varian's POV_

I stepped out of the portal and looked around, sighing in relief when I noticed that the portal had brought me and the others to the correct place.

We were standing in the middle of the base we and the Horde have selected as the place where the meeting will be held.

In front of us was a fountain made out of magnificent marble on which top a small statue of a knight, who was holding a sword stood. To our left and right stood two massive buildings made out of the same material. The one to the right looked like a garrison while the other building looked like some kind of a church. The most magnificent building in this base was the Scarlet Basilica, a large cathedral standing on top of a large hill. It was larger than every other building in this base. The marble out of which it was made had better quality than the marble out of which the other buildings were made.

A lot of guards were standing in front of these buildings or were patrolling and walking along the numerous paths which led from the fountain to those buildings. My gaze wandered to the numerous banners of Scarlet Crusade which still stood in front of those buildings or hung on the turrets, walls or on the smaller buildings.

I turned around and regarded my companions. Genn was standing right behind me, arms crossed in front of his chest and his face told me that he was not believing that this meeting's outcome would be good. Malfurion and Tyrande were more convinced by this idea but they were doubting that the Horde would listen to our arguments. It seemed that Magni Bronzebeard didn't know what he should think about this meeting. At least his brother Muradin went with us who had known Arthas from an early age.

Muradin had trained Arthas when he had been young. He used to know Arthas pretty well, at least before he had found Frostmourne. Even though he didn't meet Arthas since he came back and surprised everyone that he was still alive, he would be very useful if it comes to convince the Horde that Arthas is not evil.

I turned around when I heard the voice of a familiar person. A woman in a long purple robe with long silver hair approached us. She was carrying a wand, with a whittled raven on its top, in her right hand. She looked like she was in her forties but I knew that she was a lot older because her ancient and powerful magic kept her young. She was no other person than Aegwynn, the former guardian of Tirisfal.

"King Varian, I'm glad that you and your companions made it" Aegwynn spoke and bowed to me. I gave her a polite smile and signalized her to get up. She did and greeted the others. They greeted her in return and gave her expecting looks.

"I'm glad that you and the Horde agreed for this meeting. Come, the Horde is already waiting in the Scarlet Basilica"

"Are they?" I asked, my voice reflected my surprise about this statement.

"Yes, they are. I wouldn't have believed it either but they had arrived half an hour ago" she responded and turned around, starting to walk towards the cathedral.

"The meetings officially start is in two hours. I'm wondering why they are here so early" spoke Tyrande, making a thoughtful face.

"I wish I could tell you why but I don't know it either. I haven't asked them why they arrived so early" told Aegwynn and continued to walk to the Scarlet Basilica. We followed her. The guards bowed to us when they passed them. I saw it in their eyes that they were a bit worried, probably because of the Horde's presence. We arrived in front of the stairs of the cathedral. We walked over the long red carpet which reached from the bottom of the staircase to the cathedral's entrance. We walked through the gate and came into the splendid main hall.

The hall was very long. The floor, the walls and even the ceiling were adorned with beautiful decorations coloured in red and golden. The huge mosaic windows in the walls were numerous and consisted out of glass tinted in bright blue and golden colours. In front of each massive column, which supported the ceiling, stood a golden candelabrum with five branches. The candles were enlightened.

I regarded the beauty of this place for a few moments before I looked at the creatures in the middle of the hall. They were giving us expecting looks, except for Sylvanas Windrunner whose red eyes looked hatefully at us. Dark Ranger Velonara's arm rested on her back but her gaze rested on the person who was leaning against one of the columns and was eying the Horde and the Alliance with mistrust. I recognized this person on the basis of her significant appearance.

She was wearing a magnificent and really expensive red outfit which covered everything but her upper thighs. To her outfit also belonged large shoulder plates and an embroidered chapeau. She was carrying a red and golden coloured staff which tip looked like a circle with a glowing red crystal in the middle.

This person was no other than High Inquisitor Sally Whitemane who was one the leaders of the Scarlet Crusade. She did little to hide her dislike for the Horde, especially for the undead.

Sylvanas' eyes narrowed when we came closer. She made a few steps forward, crossing her arms in front of her chest. The green orc next to her, which I recognized as the Warchief of the Horde with the name Thrall, signalized her to calm down. She pursed her lips and eyed the Warchief, then she looked back at us but didn't say anything.

There was an awkward silence between us, the Horde and Whitemane because no one dared to speak first. It was Aegwynn who broke the silence eventually. "Well, we are finally gathered so we can begin with this meeting if everyone agrees" She looked at me, receiving a nod, then she looked at Thrall and Whitemane who were also nodding. I knew that Aegwynn will try her best to solve the conflict between us and would support us as best as she can.

Again, we remained silent and didn't say anything. Aegwynn sighed and rubbed her temples before she spoke. "I know that Lady Sylvanas has a problem that the Alliance is working with Lady Proudmoore and Arthas Menethil who had once been members of the Scourge"

"She is not the only person who has this problem" interrupted a blood elf with an eye-patch and long blond hair. His name was Lor'themar Theron and he was the Regent Lord of Quel'Thalas. "Arthas Menethil has left the home of my people in ruins and has slaughtered ninety percent of our population. I can't believe that the Alliance has abandoned us ten years ago and is now working with this bastard these days"

"First of all, we didn't abandon you. We had our own problems back then and were busy with solving them. Second, yes, it's true that we are working with him but only because he is free from the Lich King's control. The Lich King has forced him to do all these horrible things. Arthas would have never made these horrible actions if he would have had a clear mind"

"King Varian is right. Arthas may have been blinded by vengeance but other than that he had tried everythin' to save his people. His only mistake was to pick up Frostmourne without thinkin' about the consequences" spoke Muradin. I saw it in his eyes that he wanted to tell everyone how Arthas was in his youth. He wanted to tell everyone about the good guy who had had only the well-being of his people in his mind with each decision he had made. He wanted to explain how the good Arthas really was, that it was the Lich King who turned him into this evil entity which slaughtered the people of Lordaeron and Quel'Thalas. But he wasn't able to speak any further because Sylvanas' shrill and evil laughter interrupted him.

"Do you really want to tell us that Arthas Menethil is a good person? Don't be ridiculous. He once was a good person but he started to become evil without Frostmourne's influence. He purged Stratholme before he even found Frostmourne. He slaughtered an entire city months before he went to Northrend. There was no good in Arthas before he found that blade and there is no good in him now. You are a fool if you believe that he is on your side. This is just one of the Lich King's wicked mind games. Arthas will betray you sooner or later" she spoke and tilted her head, regarding us with narrowed eyes.

"The purging of Stratholme was the morally wrong decision but in Arthas' and Lordaeron's situations, it was the right decision, as wrong as it may sound" I said

"You can't be serious" said Whitemane and looked at me.

"I'm dead serious about this, High Inquisitor"

"So, you want to tell me that the death of thousands of innocent people was right? How can this be right?" she exclaimed, regarding me with mistrust.

"It seems that Lady Proudmoore has messed up his brain" commented Sylvanas.

My gaze shifted to her. A frown appeared on my forehead as I tilted my head a little. "What are you talking about? This has nothing to do with Lady Proudmoore..."

"Of course, it has. We all know that she is more than a friend to you. You would lie to yourself if you would deny that" she responded, leaving me speechless.

_How could she know that I have a huge crush on Jaina? Did her spies tell her about this? Is it so obvious that everyone has noticed it? Do the other leaders of the Alliance know it too?_

I turned my head a little, looking at my companions who were biting their bottom lips and making tensed faces.

"Whatever I feel or feel not for Lady Proudmoore doesn't matter. Anyways, how would you behave if you would have found out that your people had eaten poisoned food? This question is addressed at every leader of the Horde" I responded and looked at Sylvanas whose dangerously red-glowing eyes were focused on me. The leaders of the Horde were silent and making thoughtful faces, obviously debating about my question.

Lor'themar was the first who spoke. "Well, I would have put them in quarantine and sort out those who are really ill. The healthy ones could return to their homes while the infected remain in quarantine"

"And then what? What would you have done with the infected? Risking that they turn into mindless ghouls and attack the innocent people who aren't infected?" I responded and looked at Lor'themar, giving him an expecting look.

"Well..." he started looking at one of the mosaic windows, rubbing his neck nervously while he tried to figure out an answer.

"We would have tried to find another solution. There must have been a better way than annihilating an entire city" Thrall's determined and strong voice sounded.

"So, tell us then how you would have proceeded. Remember that Arthas didn't have a lot of time to think about the possible ways of proceeding. He had been forced to act quickly and rashly because the inhabitants of Stratholme could have been turned into the undead every minute"

Sylvanas' gaze shifted to the one who had responded to Thrall's statement. She gave Tyrande a deadly glare as if she was angry that the night elf was supporting me and Arthas.

"How do you know that? You weren't there when it happened"

"Neither were any of you" countered Tyrande. "The only ones who were witnesses are Lady Proudmoore and Uther the Lightbringer. Plus, the few hundred men which had accompanied them to Stratholme"

"Uther the Lightbringer died by the hands of your precious prince. Same counts for his followers and those who remained loyal to Arthas" spoke Velonara"

"I have spoken with the Dragon Aspects. Nozdormu, the Aspect of time and Ysera, the mother of dreams showed me visions about the past"

"I don't believe her" commented Lor'themar, showing his distrust for us. "You cannot trust a night elf. All night elves are traitors. Remember that their queen had cooperated with the Burning Legion which had created the Scourge in the first place. Without the night elves support, the Burning Legion wouldn't have been strong enough to invade Azeroth"

"It was the queen of your people too, don't forget that betrayer" spat Tyrande out, her fine and beautiful features were distorted in anger. It surprised me to see her behaving like this because I had known her as the calm leader who always kept a cool head. Something must have been triggered in her to make her act like this.

Her husband wasn't happy about the blood elf's words either but it seemed that he wasn't about to lose his mind like his beloved wife. He tried to calm Tyrande down but she pushed him away and walked forward, addressing Lor'themar but also Sylvanas with her following words.

"Your ancestors were the ones who left us after our numbers had been decimated by the Legion during the War of the Ancients. We rebelled against those who were supporting Queen Azshara and defeated them. Then your first king Dath'Remar Sunstrider fled to the Eastern Kingdoms and created another well. If someone is not trustworthy then it's the nation of the high elves, or blood elves whatever you are calling yourselves today"

"If I remember correctly, it was you and your council who exiled our ancestors from your lands. We had no other choice than starting a new life. You had abandoned us. You are the traitors" responded Sylvanas, stepping forward until she was standing right in front of Tyrande.

Aegwynn stepped between them and separated them to prevent that someone would do something which would end in a massacre. "Could we calm down and not talk about the past? This meeting will lead us to nowhere if we continue blaming the other about events of the past. We all have done mistakes in the past but we won't get rid of the Scourge if we continue to blame the other. The Alliance and the Horde fought together against the Scourge over the past years and did pretty well together. We should remember that instead of arguing about the past"

I saw it in everyone's eyes that they were realizing that Aegwynn was speaking the truth. We wouldn't get far if we would continue to blame the opposite about their actions in the past.

The only one who wasn't agreeing with Aegwynn was Velonara. "Why is she even allowed to speak? It was her son who allowed the Burning Legion to invade Azeroth for the first time".

I saw it in her eyes that she wanted to drive a wedge between the Horde and us. I bet it was Sylvanas' idea that she would say this because she didn't want to work with us but didn't want to be the scapegoat which would do everything to prevent the cooperation between the Horde and us. I bet she had convinced her lover to give her best to incite the Horde against us.

Aegwynn shook her head slightly, closing her eyes and rubbing her frowning forehead with her fingers. "Would you please stop being so ridiculous. We are here to explain that Arthas Menethil is not the bad person you think he is. It would be a lot easier for us if you would stop speaking about the past"

"But we have to speak about the past because Arthas actions happened in the past" said with a wide grin on her lips Velonara and stepped next to Sylvanas, putting one hand on her back.

A loud sigh escaped Aegwynn's lips. "I mean the events thousands of years ago, not the events in the past ten to fifteen years" she responded with a much louder voice than before. It was clearly visible that she was annoyed by the behaviours of the attending persons.

"But what happened back then is also important to discuss" spoke Velonara, a wide provocative grin was visible on her face.

"Could you please shut up, undead bitch? The disgusting smell which comes out of your ugly mouth sticks in my nose" shouted Whitemane. She was obviously annoyed that Velonara was doing everything to disturb a serious conversation.

"What now you are on their side? I thought you are still mad that the plague affected your town and turned your family. Aren't you mad at the Alliance anymore for siding with Arthas"

"No, because Arthas wasn't responsible for the creation of the plague" Whiteman spoke but she was interrupted by Velonara. "But he joined later those who created it. He became the master of Kel'Thuzad who is still alive and responsible for the plague"

"Could you just shut up and let the adults speak?" asked Genn Greymane, looking at the undead woman suspiciously.

"Nobody asked for your opinion, old dog" replied Velonara. She smirked when she saw that Genn was about to lose his patience and jump on her. This was exactly what Sylvanas wanted so I stepped in front of Genn and calmed him down by whispering a few comforting words. Genn's face remained distorted by anger but at least he wasn't about to change in his worgen form and leap on the dark ranger. He made a step backwards, crossing his arms in front of his chest and eyeing the banshee and her lover suspiciously.

"Can we finally justify ourselves? We are not working with Arthas because we want to provoke you and declare war on you" I told. My gaze rested on the banshee whose eyes have become even redder than they already were when I had said Arthas' name.

"There is nothing you could say to justify yourselves. There is nothing which could justify the cooperation with a traitor and mass murderer. You Alliance pigs have allied yourself with the Scourge to get rid of us. You would rather see half of the world belongs to the Scourge than to trolls, orcs and tauren" spoke Velonara and looked at the other leaders of the Horde, as if she was trying to convince with her glares that we were evil and wanted to see the Horde gone.

"This is bull shit and you know it" snarled Genn, once again making a few steps towards the two undead women. I put my hand on his shoulder, preventing him from walking any further.

"Guys, relax. We all know that nobody wants to work with the Scourge. Nobody is going to work with them because Arthas Menethil and Jaina Proudmoore broke free from the Scourge. Currently, they are assisting the Alliance to neutralize the threatening Scourge" said Aegwynn.

"Are you sure that they are really on your side? They could just pretend that they are on your side and betray you as soon as possible" spoke Lor'themar.

"We have tested them with the help of the Bronze Dragon flight. They showed no intentions of betraying us" I responded. Somehow, I knew that this meeting would go very long and won't have the hoped-for results. I had a bad feeling that the Banshee Queen would find a way to convince the Horde that we were the enemies of every living creature of Azeroth and that we needed to be wiped out. This meeting could end in many ways and I was sure that I wouldn't like half of the possible outcomes.

"That doesn't have to mean anything. Even the great Dragon Aspects can make mistakes. There is no chance that this bastard Arthas Menethil can become a good person again" spoke Sylvanas and came closer to us, giving us a serious look.

"So, how would ya explain that the light is supportin' him once again, lad?" asked Muradin, a small smile appeared on his lips when he saw that Sylvanas facial features derailed.

"No, that's not possible. I may be not familiar with the light but there is no chance that the light would support this bastard again. Not, after all, he has done" cried out Sylvanas, obviously not pleased how the discussion was turning.

"It's the truth, Lady Sylvanas. My daughter and your sister have seen it with their own eyes" responded Tyrande.

"They are lying. This cannot be true" countered Sylvanas, sounding less confident than at the beginning of the conversation.

"They are not lying, Sylvanas. We could allow Arthas to come and show you the truth. The light trusts him again and is supporting him. You have to listen to us and regard our proofs"

"I have to do NOTHING" she shrieked, causing everyone to stagger backwards and cover their ears with their hands. The shriek' effect on the elves was worse than on the other persons because their ears were a lot more sensitive. I noticed out of the corner of my eyes that Malfurion's and Tyrande's ears were bleeding but they seemed to get along with it.

"Calm down Sylvanas" shouted Thrall, the tone of his voice and his narrowed eyes told that he was not pleased by Sylvanas' behaviour. "You will shut up and let me speak. I'm tired of this nonsense". He walked past her and stopped a few feet away from me. I noticed that Sylvanas wanted to protest but she remained silent when she saw the grim look on Thrall's face.

"I'm sorry about this King Varian. I had thought that we could have a reasonable talk but it seems that the others like to digress from the main topic. I would like to talk to you in private without the others interrupting us. If you don't mind of course" he said and stared into my eyes. I saw in his eyes that he was really sorry about the behaviour of his fellow leaders and that he really wanted to solve this conflict. His face also told me that he didn't want to have another war between the Horde and the Alliance.

I looked at the other leaders, receiving agreeing nods from the two dwarves and the night elf couple. Genn had an impassive look on his face and his fists were clenched, telling me that he was not happy about this entire situation. But he remained calm and didn't do anything stupid.

"I accept your offering, Thrall. Let's go somewhere we can have a reasonable and serious talk"

"Wait, you can't be serious. This entire conversation is not over" shrieked Sylvanas.

"IT IS OVER BANSHEE!" shouted Thrall, causing that Sylvanas' body flinched. "I want to hear King Varian's justifications without your or your lover's countless interruptions. You can call yourself lucky that we are not discussing your crimes against the civilization of Stormwind or your assassinations attempts on Arthas, Jaina Proudmoore, Shandris Feathermoon and your own sister.

Sylvanas was making a surprised face and wanted to say something but Thrall didn't allow her to speak. "What? Did you believe that no one would find out about your intrigues? I know what you did banshee and I'm not pleased about it. We will speak later about this. This will have some serious consequences. But for now, I want to speak with King Varian. Everyone else will return to Orgrimmar. NOW"

I had to admit that Thrall was a very impressive person who knew how to treat with his co-leaders. He knew how to demand respect and he knew how to handle a crazy personality like Sylvanas. I was respecting him for this because I didn't know how I would handle Sylvanas.

Thrall looked at the other leaders of the Horde, receiving nods from everyone except for Sylvanas and Velonara. They were giving him grim looks but didn't say anything to him. Thrall gave his companions a signal and watched them leave. I did the same and said farewell to everyone before they walked out of the cathedral.

Thrall sighed as soon as we were alone. "Finally, we can have a serious talk"

"We should have met alone in the first place"

"Yes, we should have" he responded and came closer, giving me a small smile.

* * *

"Don't move Lady Proudmoore, I'm almost done"

"You know that you didn't need to do this" I responded and looked at the night elf who was regarding me while he made the last brush strokes to complete his painting. He looked at me, then he looked at his painting and then back at me. "This is so beautiful. You are so beautiful, Lady Jaina"

"Thank you, Karn" I responded and put a lock of blond hair behind my ear, walking over to the artist who was regarding his painting out of every angle.

My eyes widened when I saw this beautiful masterpiece. It showed me sitting on an expensive bench which was covered by blue pillows. My gaze hung on a blood-red apple on the palm of my raised right hand. The painting's various colours fit perfectly together and gave the whole painting a positive mood. The painting was accurate in every detail, my facial features, my hair and eye colour and my curves were portrayed perfectly. I was wearing a light blue dress on the painting which fitted perfectly to my blue eyes and the blue sky in the background.

"This is awesome. I have never seen a painting better than this. This is the perfect gift for Arthas' birthday. Thank you, Karn" I said and gave him a quick hug.

"I'm glad that you like it. I have finished the other painting which you had requested a week ago. The picture you have given me had really helped"

"I'm happy to hear that. Would you show me this picture? I want to see it first before I give it to Arthas tomorrow"

"Of course, you can Lady Proudmoore. Follow me" he responded and walked towards the path which would lead us out of the garden to one of the side entrances of Stormwind Keep. I regarded the beautiful flowers which were growing along the with sandstone plastered path.

I saw flowers in different colours, with different shapes of leaves and blossoms. Their smells were an enjoyment for everyone's noses, even for the undead ones like me. I wish I could take a few of them and put them in a vase but that would make the horticulturists mad. I didn't want to annoy them so I didn't take any of these flowers, even though they looked so beautiful.

Karn stopped in front of the side entrance and opened it, signalizing me to walk through it. I gave him a thankful nod and was about to walk through it as I heard a quiet voice, which sounded familiar to me, saying my name. I didn't know whose voice that was but I was pretty sure that I knew I had heard this voice before. Maybe it was the voice of somehow, I had met in the past, a long time ago.

My eyes widened when I turned around and recognized the shape of this familiar person. This person was not a random stranger I had met during my youth. This person was not just someone I had seen one time or two. This person was one of my oldest, if not the oldest friend I knew since my youth.

The woman in front of me was no other than Calia Menethil, my first real friend and Arthas' long lost sister. My eyes widened in surprise. My jaw dropped as I wanted to say something but not a single word slipped out of my mouth. I didn't know what to say, didn't know to think at this very moment.

She was standing not far away from me. Her golden hair was paler than I remembered but her skin looked healthy. She was wearing a beautiful white robe which reminded me of the typical clothes priests were wearing. Her eyes, which had the same colour Arthas' eyes used to have when he had been alive, hung on me and regarded me curiously.

"Jaina? Is it... Is it really you?" asked curiously. Like her voice, her beautiful face reflected hope. I noticed that she hasn't aged at all since the last time I met her. It seemed that the light had really blessed her and kept her young. She was a few years older than Arthas but still looked like she was her twenties. She looked even younger than I used to look before I was turned into a frost lich.

Finally, I was able to find my voice. "Calia..." I responded. "I can't believe that you are still alive. I thought you died during the fall of Lordaeron"

I noticed immediately that her facial expression became sad as if she was remembering at this very moment what had happened more than ten years ago. I didn't know what I was doing and why I did this but I approached her and wrapped my arms around her shoulders, pulling her in a comforting hug.

I didn't know why I was hugging all the people who were close to me. I couldn't remember that I have done that in life but it seemed that my death had affected me. Since my death, I was showing more feelings towards the ones who I considered as close friends. And Calia definitely was one of my closest friends.

I noticed that Calia felt uncomfortable because my skin was very cold but she didn't pull away even though her body started to shiver. Calia was a bit smaller than me so she was able to put her head on my shoulder as she closed her eyes. I hadn't expected that she would behave like this.

I had expected that she would push me away and would never look at me again because I was a creature of the darkness and she was a servant of the light. But she didn't do it. Instead, she stayed close to me for a few moments before she pulled away and regarded me from head to toe.

"I have heard that you have changed but I haven't expected that you look like... this" she said and pointed at my face, my exposed stomach and the long dress which covered by waist and legs.

"Well, I'm was not happy about it first but I got used to it. So did Arthas" I responded. I noticed that her eyes lightened up when her ears recognized her brother's name.

I knew exactly why she was here. She wasn't visiting Stormwind to see me in the first place. She was here because she wanted to see her brother after she had heard that he joined the good side again and became a servant of the light once again. The purpose of her visit was not to meet me but I could see it in her face that she was happy to see me, even though I looked like an undead witch.

"You are here to meet Arthas, right?"

She nodded in return. Her eyes told me that she had really missed her brother over the past decade. He was the only member of her family who remained for her after the massacre in Lordaeron. I stared in her eyes, trying to find out if she was mad at Arthas or if she could forgive him but I found no signs which I could interpret. Too bad that I wasn't able to read her mind.

"I guess you are still dismayed by his betrayal on your family and your kingdom but you need to know that it was not him who did all of this"

"I know, Jaina. I know it was not him. The Arthas I had known, the little brother I had taken care off during his youth, would have never done such horrible things. I know about the Lich King's control and that he is gone forever. I have heard that Arthas is about to join the Alliance so I thought that I could visit him. I want to find out if he is really the brother I used to know.

"You need to know that Arthas has changed and is not the same person you have once known but he has become very similar to the person he once was. He became a good guy and is doing everything to make up for his mistakes"

"I'm glad that you are saying this, Jaina. He is the only family, I have left. He may be undead and has done a lot of things while he has been controlled by the Lich King but he is still my brother. I want to see him and look if I can accept him how he is"

"I can understand you pretty well, Calia. He is very important for me too and I have tried everything in the past to get him back. Fortunately, my hard work and countless tries paid off in the end"

Calia nodded to me and regarded me from head to toe. "I'm sorry what happened to you, Jaina" she said with a sad tone in her voice. She regarded my face closely, my hair, the wands on my back and at last, she scrutinized my dress with the generous neckline and large hole which exposed my flat stomach. "Would you tell me about it?

"Well, it's a long story and I don't want to tell you every detail in the garden where everyone can hear us"

"You are right, we should speak somewhere else and then we should look for Arthas. I have heard that you two are a thing again".

I gave her a small smile and nodded to her. She linked arms with me and regarded my upper body once again. "Your belly is so flat and your skin looks so smooth, even in undeath. It's a real miracle. Normally, women in our age have problems with keeping their figure. At least I have heard that. I have no problem with my body but I envy you for your beauty., You are breathtakingly beautiful even in death. Anyways, let's go to your room" she announced and walked with me through the entrance.

We walked for a while and stopped in the middle of a corridor in front of a painting which showed a happy couple. Calia regarded this painting and I could swear that I had seen a small sign of sadness in her eyes for a short moment. She turned her head and looked at me, giving me a small smile.

"I'm so glad that you and Arthas are together again. I have always known that you two belong together. I have expected that you two would marry and have kids... But it seems that fate had selected a different path for you two. It nearly broke my heart when I have heard that Arthas ended your relationship. I couldn't believe that he had broken up with you back then. You two were the perfect couple. Everyone in Lordaeron had adored you two. You won't believe how many women had envied you because of your relationship with Arthas. A lot of my friends had been really jealous at you"

"Well, then I can call myself lucky that Arthas didn't end up with a random noblewoman from Lordaeron or Stormwind" I responded and looked at Calia who was giving me a bright smile.

"You hadn't needed any luck back then. You were a very pretty woman back then. You are still a pretty woman and a very charming and polite person. No wonder Arthas fell for you" she said, her smile became even wider and looked like everything but faked. I noticed that each of her words was meant honest and were not only said to make me feel better.

"I guess I have to thank you"

"No, need to. We have been good friends back then and I hope we can be friends again. I know that this is a little sudden and I know that you have expected me to be a bit distant because you are undead but the truth is that I have missed you and Arthas very badly. Arthas is my only remaining relative and you are my only friend who survived the Scourge" she spoke, her facial expression became sadder after she had spoken out the last sentence. "Well, you didn't really survive... I'm so sorry, Jaina. I didn't mean to formulate it like this"

"It's okay Calia. I have accepted what happened to me" I responded and put my hand on her left shoulder, giving her a smile. She smiled back, her eyes stared into mine. I walked with her along the corridor, eventually coming to mine and Arthas' room.

I told Calia to wait outside for a few moments. She nodded and untangled our arms, giving me a small smile. I returned her smile and opened the door, still looking at her when I entered the room. I turned around, ready to greet Arthas.

My facial features derailed, my eyes widened and my jaw dropped. A shrill scream escaped my lips as my eyes roamed over the horrible scene in front of me.

The entire room was left in ruins. Every piece of furniture was destroyed. The bed had been knocked over. The mattress was slit open, the feathers were soaked in blood and were spread over the entire floor.

In the middle of the room laid Arthas. He wasn't moving. He was just lying there with the face on the floor. His golden armour was covered with blood and the forgery of Frostmourne stuck in his back.


	29. Who was it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have already finished Chapter 32 so I'm trying to upload more chapters per week which means that I have to check them a bit faster. I hope you don't mind that I may have missed a few typos.

This cannot be possible.

There was no chance that this was real.

This cannot be real.

No!

It cannot.

No!

Arthas can't be dead.

I had waited so many years. I had been patient for over a decade and had always hoped that he would return to me one day. My patience had paid out because I had gotten him back almost a year ago.

But now, everything turned out to be meaningless. My efforts were for nothing. All the energy and strength I had used had been for nothing.

Arthas was dead.

The forgery of Frostmourne stuck deep in his body. Only the hilt stuck out, meaning that the blade had pierced through his flesh and organs.

I noticed that cold tears ran over my cheeks but I didn't care. I didn't wipe them away so they fell to the floor. I collapsed. A wave of pain rushed through my body when my head hit the floor. It felt like my non-beating heart was torn apart in millions of little pieces. I felt shattered. Lost. Worthless. Useless.

Useless without Arthas.

I was sobbing. Crying. Rivers of tears ran down my checks. I was so lost in my grief that I almost missed that another person came in the room. I didn't look up when the person gasped, a shocked sound came out of her throat. I didn't need to look up to know that Calia was standing behind me.

"NO! Arthas" she cried out and began to sob. She rushed to the lifeless body of her brother and kneeled next to it. I looked up but it was hard to see something because my vision was blurred by all the tears which were coming out of the corners of my eyes.

I got up a little and wiped the tears out of my face so that I was able to see something. Calia's hands clasped the fake Frostmourne's hilt. She tried to pull it out but she was not strong enough because her entire body was shaking as tears ran down her cheeks. She collapsed onto the ground, face buried in her palms as more and more tears rolled over her cheeks.

I pushed her aside, not carrying that she was grieving as well. I clasped the sword's hilt with my trembling hands. I closed my eyes, trying to stop my body from shaking but it didn't work. I tried to pull the sword out but my body felt weak.

My strength left me and my knees gave away causing that I fell on the floor. I pulled myself together and used the remains of my strength to stand up. My knees trembled but I was able to stand without falling again. I enclosed my hands around the sword's hilt, pulling on it with all of my strength.

Somehow, I managed to pull it out but I stumbled over my own feet and landed on the floor once again. Meanwhile, Calia had stopped burying her face in her palms and had looked up at me, wondering what I was doing. Her skin had become paler and her eyes were red from crying. I kneeled next to Arthas' corpse and put my hands under his torso. I didn't need to say something to make Calia understand that I needed her help.

She returned my staring and put her hands on Arthas' left side. Together we turned him around and laid him on his back.

The loud sob from Calia echoed through the room when she saw the huge hole in her brother's chest. Tears ran down her cheeks and mine as well. She wanted to put her head on her brother's chest and just cry but I pushed her away and put my hands on the yawning wound.

"W...What are you doing, Jaina?" her weak stuttering voice asked. She regarded me with widened eyes but her look didn't stop me from casting a spell. A sharp fragment from the mirror reflected my appearance, showing me that my eyes were pitch-black as I drained power out of the real Frostmourne on my back.

Calia's bottom lip was trembling and her facial expression told me that she was afraid as well but I didn't care at this very moment. I didn't care about her feelings at this very moment because I had to do something very important.

A pitch-black aura wrapped around my hands as I pressed them on the yawning wound. I had closed a lot of wounds with the help of necromantic spells over the past years but none of these wounds had been so huge like the one in Arthas' chest. I was able to see a few tips of his rips and his inner organs. Like I had expected, closing the wound required a lot of strength but it went faster than I had thought.

Calia was still sobbing after I had closed the wound and caused that Arthas' corpse didn't look like the victim of an animal attack anymore.

"Jaina, what are you doing?" her trembling voice asked. I ignored her and stared at Arthas' pale face, noticing that his blue-eyes were widely opened. It gave me the impression that he had been surprised by the attack. I was wondering who or what had been so strong that it would cause such a wound. I wasn't figuring it out even though I wanted to know who did this so I could plan my revenge.

I knew that it was not the right time to plan my revenge because I had other things to do. I couldn't let Arthas lay there like this. I removed his upper body armour and pressed my hands on his pale torso, draining more and more power out of Frostmourne.

I heard Frostmourne's voice in my head. It was very loud but that was good because it whispered the correct words which I had to say for the spell I was casting. I repeated Frostmourne's words loudly, ignoring the alarming look Calia was giving me. I pumped the magic, I took from Frostmourne, in Arthas' body. I felt that I became weaker and weaker but I didn't stop as long as Frostmourne spoked to me.

I didn't know how long I had pumped magic into Arthas' body when the sword's whispering stopped. "What have you done?" Calia asked. Her face was a mask of shock.

I looked at her and then at Arthas. "The only right thing" I responded and stared at Arthas' body. Nothing happened in the first ten minutes. I stayed calm and didn't comment about the frown on Calia's forehead and the worried look on her face.

I got the impression that my spell hadn't worked but I remained calm and waited. I didn't lose my patience nor did I break out in panic when nothing happened during the next ten minutes. My gaze rested on the still motionless corpse between us.

Suddenly, after half an hour of waiting, Arthas began to move. His body twitched and he startled up suddenly. He looked around wildly, acting like a paranoid teenager. I threw my arms around his neck, hugging him closely. I did my best to calm him down, speaking soothing words to stop him from freaking out.

"Jaina" he said quietly after he became calm.

"I'm here, honey" I whispered. Tears ran down my cheeks

"Why are you crying?" he asked and gave me a worried look. "Is something wrong? Did someone hurt you? Tell me who it was and I will make sure that this bastard will wish that he was never born"

"Oh, Arthas" I whispered and buried my face in his neck, sobbing quietly. He put his hand on my back and rubbed it slowly while his other hand caressed the back of my head.

"What happened to your hair?" he asked after a few moments of absolute silence. I turned my head a little and looked into the fragment of the destroyed mirror. My eyes widened in surprise when I noticed that my hair had a similar light-blue colour as my skin.

"I don't know" I stuttered, obviously surprised and shocked about the discovery.

"Your hair looks so... different" he spoke and looked around as if he wanted to find out if something else had changed. His eyes widened when he noticed that the room laid in ruins. His eyes widened, even more, when he recognized the pale, shocked woman who was sitting to his right.

He was speechless at first, his jaw was wide open and his eyes hung on her. He caught himself after a few moments, then he cleared his throat and asked. "Is this a dream or are you really sitting next to me, dear sister?"

Calia bit her bottom lip nervously and wiped the tears out of her face before she answered. "No, this is not a dream. I'm real"

"But how... I thought you died during the horrible events of Lordaeron"

"One of my closest friends smuggled me out of Lordaeron before your men found me. I fled to the exile and lived there until now" she explained and did her best to keep staring in Arthas' eyes, which was not that easy for her after she had been so emotional.

Arthas remained silent for a few minutes. He was staring at his older sister as if he didn't know what to say. Eventually, he parted his lips and spoke "I'm so sorry, Calia. I'm sorry for all what happened to our family and to Lordaeron"

"It's okay, little brother. I know that you didn't do it on purpose. I know about you and Ner'zhul. It's alright" she said quietly and put her arm around Arthas' shoulders, hugging him and resting her head on his shoulder.

"No, it's not... It's not okay" responded Arthas quietly but neither Calia nor I said something in return. We just sat there and hugged Arthas who was still not knowing what was going on.

"I thought I would lose you forever" I whispered and rested my head on his other shoulder, slipping onto his lap.

"I thought that too" responded Calia and put a hand on Arthas' cheek, not shrinking back even though his skin was as cold as ice.

"What happened exactly?" asked Arthas. He regarded Calia and then me with an inquisitive look on his face.

I remained silent for a few moments and stared at Arthas while I was figuring out if I should tell him that he died or not. Calia had also seen that he had been killed so there was no point in lying to him. I closed my eyes for a few moments, beginning to speak after I opened them.

"Someone has attacked you"

"Someone has attacked me?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "Who?"

"I don't know how it was but this person killed you" I responded sadly and took his hands in mine, caressing the backs of his hands with my thumbs. I noticed the change in his expression. His eyes widened even more, his lips were pressed to a thin line and his skin seemed a lot paler.

"What do you mean with that this person killed me?"

"I saw you lying on the ground with a massive sword in your back. Whoever has attacked you, was successful" I responded, trying hard to not burst out in tears. At least only a few tears rolled over my cheeks. Arthas noticed them and wiped them away with his index finger.

"So, this is the afterlife?" he asked, giving me a confused and worried look.

"No, this is not the afterlife. This is the cruel reality" I responded, trying to hide my sobs as best as possible. I kept looking at Arthas whose face was a mix of worry and shock.

"How is that possible?" he asked and continued to wipe my tears away.

"I have brought you back from the dead" I spoke, staring in Arthas' eyes as if I expected a response from him. But he was silent and didn't say something in the first few moments. I noticed that he looked troubled as if he was assimilating something or thinking about something.

"Arthas are you okay?" asked Calia after a while. Her voice sounded soft and comforting, securing Arthas' attention with ease. He turned his head a little and looked at his older sister who was giving him a small smile but also a worried look.

"I don't know" he responded eventually and stared in his sister's eyes. "This is too much... I'm confused. I don't know what I should think and what I should do"

"We can let you alone if you want. I can understand that you want time for your own to think about everything" I suggested and turned away from him, standing up. I was about to walk away to give him some space as his cold hand grabbed my wrist and stopped me from moving away.

"No" he whispered quietly and looked at the floor, the corners of his eyes were filled with tears. "You have sworn that you would never leave me again, Jaina"

"I'm not leaving you. I'm only giving you enough room to think about everything"

"I don't need time alone" he responded, pulling me to him with all of his strength. I stumbled and landed on his lap. He didn't hesitate and wrapped his arms around my body, preventing that I could get away from him. "You have promised me that you would never leave me again in a moment where I need you more than anything else"

"I know, Arthas and I want to keep this promise but I have the impression that you want to spend some time alone"

"I don't need time alone. I need you right now and Calia as well" he whispered and buried his face in my neck, placing a soft kiss on my skin.

"I will stay with you if you wish so" I responded and intertwined our fingers, bringing one hand to my lips. I kissed his knuckles and the back of his hand softly, leaving a purple lipstick print on it. We stayed like this for a while, not saying anything at all.

We got up eventually. Arthas regarded the destroyed room once again before he walked to the door and stopped right in front of it. He turned around and extended his arm, offering me his hand. I knew what he wanted to do without needing to ask him.

Of course, I couldn't refuse him so I took his hand and intertwined my fingers with his. I noticed that Calia was giving us a small happy smile as she regarded us. I left the room with the Menethil siblings and walked with them along the corridor to the throne room.

The guards were making curious faces, wondering who Calia was. They didn't recognize her but that didn't matter right now. What mattered was that we had to report to Varian what had happened so we walked through the corridor as fast as possible.

Varian entered the throne room at the same moment. He plumped on the throne and stretched his legs out, heaving a loud sigh. He looked very exhausted from whatever he had been doing. His hair was messy and he was tired as well. He looked up at us when he noticed our presence.

"Jaina, Arthas... It would be nice if you tell me how I can help you and who this beautiful woman is" he said and regarded Calia with curiosity.

"This is my sister Calia"

Varian was making a surprised face. "For real? I though she is dead" he stuttered.

"Fortunately, I'm not, your majesty" responded Calia shyly and made a curtsey.

Varian chuckled about her gesture. "You don't need to do that"

"I know but I want to" she replied and gave him a small smile.

He returned the smile and then looked at us. "How can I help you?"

"Can we talk privately?" I asked, giving him a serious look. His smile faded, signalizing us that he understood that we wanted to discuss a serious topic.

"Alright, come with me to my office" he spoke and stood up, walking towards the corridor as fast as his tired legs allowed it. We came to his office after a walk of five minutes and entered it as soon as the door was opened. We sat down on the chairs in front of his desk. Varian fell in his chair and rested his head on his palms. He looked very exhausted.

"Was the meeting so stressful or why are you so exhausted?" I asked and regarded him closely. He took a glass of water from his desk and drank it in one go. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and put the glass back on the edge of the desk.

"Well" he started and looked at the ceiling as if he was figuring out what to say. He was silent for a few moments but then he eventually told us that the meeting with the Horde had been a real challenge.

He explained how Sylvanas and her beloved Velonara had tried to sabotage the meeting. He told us about the argument between the night and blood elves and the argument between the forsaken, Whitemane and Aegwynn. He explained that the meeting would have led to nowhere if Thrall wouldn't have intervened and caused that Sylvanas had shut up.

"So, you met with Thrall alone and then what?" asked Arthas, looking at Varian with a very interested expression on his face.

"We talked about everything. I managed to convince him that you have not the intention to harm anyone. I told him that you are on the good side and that we don't want to use you and the Scourge against the Horde. Thrall has told me that he believes me but he wants to speak with Arthas before he agrees to cooperate with us" explained Varian and took a sip from his glass of water which he had refilled a moment ago. He poured water in a second glass and handed it to Calia, apologizing that he hadn't offered it to her earlier. She took it and told him that everything was fine. She returned his smile and took a sip of water.

"So, we have to meet with Thrall if we want to secure peace with the Horde" I statemented.

"Well, only Arthas has to meet with Thrall but you can go with him if you want"

"Of course, I will" I responded immediately. Varian chuckled about my resolution and ran his fingers through his long brown mane.

"Anyways, you have told me that you want to speak with about something, right?" he asked and leaned back in his chair.

"Someone has executed an assassination attempt on Arthas"

"Wait, what? Did you just said that someone tried to assassinate Arthas?" he asked, looking at us with worry and heavily surprise written all over his face.

"You have heard right. I don't know how it was but someone has attacked Arthas and killed him. It has taken a lot of Frostmourne's power to bring Arthas back" explained, glaring sadly at Varian.

"Do you have any idea who it was? Normally, I would have assumed that it was Sylvanas but neither she or Velonara could have done it because they attended the meeting. I don't believe that it was one of Sylvanas' minions because she wants to kill Arthas personally with her own hands. She would never send an assassin after him who would kill him in Stormwind City. No, she would have sent more than just one assassin to bring Arthas to her so that she can have her vengeance. Who do you think was it?"

"To be honest, Varian, I have no clue"

"Then, we have to check the records of the vision orbs"

"You put magical recording-orbs in our room?" asked Arthas, sounding scandalized. "I thought you trust us"

"I do but Genn doesn't. He didn't stop getting on my nerves me until I have agreed that I would hide these orbs in your room to find out if you are planning something behind our backs. I'm so sorry"

Arthas had an angry expression on his face. I knew he was about to say something that wouldn't contain anything good. I squeezed his hand and spoke before he was about to scream at Varian. "It hurts a little that you are still spying on us but I can understand you why you are so careful with everything. A lot had happened over the past years and who knows what could happen. It's only smart to be careful. I hope that the records of these orbs will show us who attacked Arthas"

"I can show you the records right now if you want" responded Varian and took a blue glass globe out of the highest drawer of his desk.

"Yes, please do that" I said and gave him a barely recognizable smile.

* * *

_Arthas' POV_

I stared at the projection on the wall, not saying anything at all. The record showed about twelve undead creatures which appeared out of nowhere in Jaina's and my room. My past self in the record leaped up and grabbed my hammer.

The undead creatures wore clothes adorned with the symbol of the Forsaken on their chests. Their leader was a pale elven woman who was wearing a black and golden coloured outfit which consisted of a tunic and leggings. Her cloak was pulled over her head and covered her pale blond hair. She carried a longbow made out of bones from an unknown beast.

The projection showed the fight between my past self and the attackers. I managed to kill the dark ranger's followers quickly. The holy light was very effective against them and seriously hurt the undead. Only the dark ranger wasn't affected by this because she was attacking from the distance. The battle continued even after the Forsaken foot soldiers had been taken out by my past self.

This meant that only my past self and the dark ranger were left. I wasn't believing that where was a way how my past self could lose this duel because the holy light seemed to protect me and she was just an undead creature which weakness was the holy light.

I couldn't tell how she had managed that but somehow, she had hit me with her poisoned arrows. I tried to analyse how this could have happened but I was too focused on the projection to concentrate on the analysis so I stopped doing it. Instead, I kept watching the record.

The dark ranger managed to trick me and get behind me. Somehow, she managed to snatch the hammer out of my hands. Even though holy light was wrapped around it, touching it didn't bother her. I noticed that this woman was a lot stronger than the average minion of the Banshee Queen I had seen.

The woman and myself from the projection fought but without my hammer, I had no chance against her. My past self tried to hit her with the last remains of his strength but the dark ranger disappeared. The past Arthas looked around, trying to figure out where the elf was. Suddenly she reappeared and jumped in my past self's back, causing that he landed on the ground.

She pushed him down and prevented that he was able to get up. She spoke a few words in a language I didn't know and rammed this sword, which looked exactly like Frostmourne, in the past Arthas' back. The dark ranger regarded her victim with a satisfied smile before she turned around and pulled an item out of her pocket. I wasn't able to see what it was but I assumed that it was a hearthstone which was able to teleport her away. My assumption turned out to be true when she disappeared suddenly.

I remained silent. Neither Jaina, Calia or Varian said something. I kept staring at the wall on which the glass globe had projected those images, even though there was nothing which I could regard.

I turned around when I felt Jaina's soft hand on my shoulder. I turned my head a little, looking at Jaina who was having tears in the corners of her eyes. I turned around and opened my arms, allowing her to embrace me. She pressed her body against mine and hugged me so tightly as if she was fearing to lose me if she would let me go. The corners of my lips formed a small smile as I looked down at her and ran my fingers through her light blue hair.

I turned my head, my gaze shifted to Calia who was standing not far away from me and was looking at me with a worried and shocked expression on her beautiful face. Varian was sitting behind his desk and was having a thoughtful look on his face.

None of us said something in the first few minutes. Varian was the one who broke the silence eventually. "This should prove that it was the Banshee Queen who ordered Arthas' execution... I hate to say this but this doesn't make sense for me. She would have wanted to enjoy her revenge and torture Arthas slowly to death. Sending someone else to kill Arthas as fast as possible wouldn't make sense at all. This doesn't look like the Banshee Queen even though it was her servants who attacked Arthas"

"You are right" spoke Jaina. "There is something shady about it"

"Maybe, she just wanted to see me dead because her previous tries had been failures" Varian responded.

"No, I don't believe this. Sylvanas is a patient woman. She would wait for the perfect opportunity to get Arthas even if she has to wait for decades. You have to consider that the dark ranger could have captured Arthas and brought him to Sylvanas but she didn't"

"So, either this dark ranger betrayed her or someone wants us to believe that Sylvanas was the one who ordered the execution" concluded Calia.

"Exactly" said Jaina and gave Calia a nod.

"This means that we need to find out the truth" I said and received nods from everyone.

"To be honest, I'm not hoping that the dark ranger betrayed Sylvanas because that could mean that the original plan was to bring Arthas to her. I don't want any more conflicts between us and the Horde. It has been pretty hard to convince Thrall that you and Jaina are not their enemies. It would be a shame if a possible peace will be prevented because the Banshee Queen decided to go to war against us. I don't want to lose more soldiers in a senseless war. I hope that Sylvanas will finally realize that Arthas is not her enemy. She has to realize that Ner'zhul was her enemy and was responsible for her death. Arthas was only the vessel but Ner'zhul was the mastermind behind it. Ner'zhul is already gone so she has no real reason to kill Arthas" spoke Varian, making a strained face.

"So, who do you think would profit if the Alliance and the Horde would go to war? I can't think of anyone who wants us think that the Banshee Queen did this" I responded.

"I can't think of anyone either" responded Jaina and looked at me. Worry was clearly visible in her beautiful blue eyes.

"We have to investigate this as well. We have to find out the truth" replied Varian and came closer to us.

"I don't know where we should start. It will be not easy to find out the truth" I said.

"We should speak with the Dragon Aspects. I'm pretty sure that they can help us" Jaina said to me and took my left hand, lacing our fingers together.

"That's a pretty good idea" admitted Varian and walked towards the door. He opened it and said "Let's go. The earlier we find out who it was, the more time and options we have to react to it"

I nodded to him and wrapped my around Jaina, walking with her towards the door.

* * *

Somewhere

"You have asked for me master?" a croaky voice asked.

"Did I?" I asked, my voice perfectly reflected the absence of interest.

"Yes, you did" spoke the demon and stepped out of the shadows. Her voice sounded self-confident and the look in her eyes told me that she was not afraid of me. I stared at her, scrutinizing her beautiful form. Her skin had a felgreen colour and looked very firm. Her dark green eyes stared at me and her beautiful lips formed a provocative grin.

"Did I really?" I asked, giving her a doubting look.

"Yes, master" she responded. She didn't lose her patience even though I was asking the same questions again for three more times.

"Alright, what do you want to tell me?"

"I have executed the mission successfully" the female dreadlord responded and came closer to me.

"The mission?" I asked and looked at her, trying to figure out what she was talking about.

"You have ordered me to kill Arthas Menethil and let it look like the Banshee Queen ordered it. Don't you remember?" I chuckled when I saw the questioning look on her face.

"Now where you mention it, I can slightly remember that I have given you this task. I'm sorry, Rissya. It seems that my memory has suffered during the process. I haven't expected that the transformation ritual would have side effects of such magnitude.

"At least it has worked pretty well" she responded with a flirtatious tone, her eyes roamed all over my body. I found myself smirking about her behaviour and the desire in her eyes. I allowed her to stare for a few minutes before I brought her back to reality.

"I'm sorry, I've gotten distracted a bit. It won't happen again" she spoke and bent down to ask for forgiveness.

"It's okay, Rissya. You can't get up if you want" I responded and leaned forward, resting my elbows on the armrests of my magnificent throne which was made out of hardened felglass.

I looked down, noticing that the bilious green material was reflecting my appearance. I regarded my handsome face for a while, only looking up when warm hands touched my cheeks. Rissya was standing directly in front of me - Between my legs to be exactly.

She stroked my cheeks while her eyes stared into mine. I put my hand on one of hers, stroking the back of it while my other hand caressed my tapered chin.

"What is bothering you, honey?" her sweet voice whispered. I stared in her beautiful eyes but I didn't respond to her. She came closer when I refused to give her an answer, sitting down on my lap.

"I'm running out of time. Lord Sargeras want to see results and I didn't get much further since the demise of Lordaeron. My plan to draw Arthas Menethil on our side went pretty well but then everything went down. Mal'Ganis was killed, Arthas made the Scourge independent and Lord Archimonde was defeated on Mount Hyjal. Lord Sargeras is not pleased with the current results of our campaign" I spoke, my voices sounded a little depressed.

"Don't worry, my love. We will find a way to make the campaign successful" she spoke, sounding self-confident as always.

"Do you have something in your mind?" I asked, raising an eyebrow as I looked at her in interest.

"First of all, killing Arthas and letting it look like Sylvanas has ordered it will cause conflicts between the Alliance and the Horde. They will go to war and weaken each other. We will take advantage of the chaos which will be created and capture Jaina Proudmoore"

"Why do we need her?" I asked curiously,

"You will see"

"You know that I don't like surprises. I hope that your plan will be successful"

"My plans are always successful. Don't worry, my love" she responded and stood up, walking towards the room's exit. "Are you coming, Thel'zaron?"

"As you wish" I responded and moved my heavy body, slowly walking towards the only trustable person in my life. She was the only constant in my life, the only person I trust. A lot of people had betrayed me over time but she hadn't. I knew her very well to know that she will never betray me.

I followed her out of the room, knowing without needing to ask that she wanted to show me something of great importance.


	30. More hints

_Thel'zaron's POV_

"What do you want to show me, Rissya?" I asked impatiently and looked around. I bit my bottom lip hard when I recognized that there was nothing, she could show me except for the dirt beneath our feet. I was asking myself how I keep falling for her tricks over and over again.

She didn't say anything. She just stared at me with a wide grin on her lips.

"There is nothing except air and dirt, so tell me what do you want to show me?" I asked aggressively and stamped on the ground, leaving a huge hole behind.

"Be patient, my love" she responded and looked up at me. I gave her a grim look but that didn't scare her nor did the fact that I was three times larger than her. She remained calm and gave me a teasing grin which was getting on my nerves already.

"I have already shown so much patience for you. Too much for my liking. Still, you keep disappointing me.

"This time will be different" she promised.

"I'm hoping that for you" I responded and shoved her aside. She followed me and guided me over the empty area. She stopped after a while and looked at me, the wide grin was still visible on her beautiful face.

"That's it?" I asked and looked around, trying to find out if I was missing something. This has to be a joke because there was nothing, she could show me. The entire area was empty.

She shook her head slightly and gave me another grin. She muttered a few words, her hands started to glow green. The glowing became more intense and disappeared completely after a few moments. I blinked in surprise and stared at the green demonic gateway which had appeared out of nowhere. I looked at her, signalizing her that I was not quite understanding what she wanted from me. She pointed at the gate, signalizing me to step through it.

I frowned and looked at her. I looked at the gate which was way too small for me, then I looked at her and crossed my arms in front of my chest. I raised an eyebrow and gave her a look which was asking if she was kidding me. She shook her head slightly and cast a spell.

The gate was increased in size until it was larger than me. "You could have also shrunk your size but okay" she commented and pointed at the gateway, requesting me to go through it. I groaned and walked through it, observing the new surroundings as soon as I came out of the other side of the gate.

My eyes narrowed. I bit my bottom lip hard to prevent that a loud snarl escaped my lips. I turned around, giving Rissya an absolute furious look. "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?" I roared, moving closer to my consort who was not showing any emotion. She was just staring at me while having an impassive expression on her face.

"YOU DARE TO BRING ME TO THIS BASTARD? I HAVE TOLD YOU THAT I NEVER WANTED TO SEE HIM AGAIN. HAVE YOU ALREADY FORGOTTEN IT, WOMAN? I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT YOU BROUGHT ME TO THIS FAILURE" I shouted aggressively and tried to hit the female dreadlord but she was faster and dodged all of my attempts to hit her.

"HOW DARE YOU" I screamed and grabbed her, lifting her until she was directly in front of my face. My furious red eyes observed her closely. She didn't stop smirking, even though I could squash her like an insect. But she knew that I would never do it no matter how often she provokes me.

"Father" a familiar gruff voice sounded. I turned around, my eyes scrutinized the one whose presence was insulting me and making me furious.

"What do you want, _son_?" I asked and stressed the word son derogatory.

"I'm here because mother told me that you could need me" he responded. I looked at Rissya, giving her another angry look before I looked back at him.

"I don't need the service of a failure like you" I hissed and put his mother to the ground, releasing her.

"Don't be so hard to him. He did his job and lured Arthas into the service of the Lich King. This was his task and he fulfilled it" Rissya explained and stretched her wings out. She rose in the air until her face was on the same height mine. She looked at me, giving me her sweetest smile. I groaned, looking at her for a small moment before I shifted my gaze back on my useless son.

"He may have fulfilled his task but he didn't prevent that Arthas and his bunch of mindless servants broke free from the Burning Legion. This had weakened us a lot and prevented that we would have won the Battle for Mount Hyjal. With the Scourge on our side, we would have been victories back then and Lord Sargeras wouldn't have punished me. Because of this defeat, our Lord has lost trust in me and has sent me to infiltrate the Scourge. Getting them back under our control is the only way for the Legion to achieve a win against the mortals. Because of our son's failure, I have been demoted to Arthas' lapdog and had to do his dirty work. Do you know who it feels to serve this miserable creature for over ten years? It's humiliating" I addressed Rissya while speaking, even though I was staring at my son the entire time.

I scrutinized him once again. He hadn't changed at all over the years. His tall size, his purple skin and his massive wings, claws and horns made him look mighty. I knew that he was everything but that because he had lost a duel against this fool Arthas. Arthas may have wielded Frostmourne back then but that was not an excuse for a mighty dreadlord to lose against a human.

"Would you give him another chance, honey? He is really sorry about his failure. He would do everything to compensate that" Rissya spoke in her seducing and persuading voice, she normally only used in the bedroom.

"Are these his words or yours?" I asked, giving her a doubting look.

"They are mine as well" my son spoke and bowed down to me, lowering his head in respect.

I groaned and regarded him and his mother for a few moments. "Fine, I give you another chance. Don't you dare to disappoint me once again, Mal"

"Don't worry, father. I won't fail again" he responded confidently. He straightened up and put his hand on his chest, on the spot where his heart was.

"I want you to bring Arthas' whore to me. She has been a thorn in my eye since Arthas has raised her. But remember that I want her alive and uninjured" I said to him. I turned my head and looked at his mother. "And you will make sure that the Alliance and the Horde will go to war and battle each other until one of these factions is wiped off the planet. The inhabitants of this planet have been defying the legion for thousands of years. I want to put an end to them and make the master proud of me. I don't want to disappoint Lord Sargeras again. Never again"

"As you wish, my master" she spoke and landed on the ground. She gave me a smirk before she walked to the gateway and stepped through it. I looked at my son who bowed to me quickly and followed his mother.

"I have a bad feeling about this" I whispered and walked through the same gateway.

* * *

_Arthas' POV_

I turned around and walked to the table, placing the cup of hot tea in front of my guest. I took a seat opposite her and gave her a warm smile.

"Finally, we are alone" spoke Calia and returned my smile. She took the cup and brought it to her lips, taking a sip. "The tea is good" she commented and placed it back in front of her.

"I'm glad you like it" I didn't say anything else because I was unsure what to say. The awkward silence between us lasted for about three minutes. Calia took another sip, her blue eyes rested on me the entire time. I saw it in her eyes that she wanted to say something, wanted to talk with me about something. But it seemed that she wasn't able to find the right words.

I noticed that her hands were trembling nervously and that she was about to spill her tea. I put my hands on hers, giving her another warm smile. Her hands stopped shaking eventually and her breaths came slower and steadier. "It's okay, sister. You don't need to be afraid of me. I'm not the evil person anymore who had caused the destruction of our kingdom"

"I know, Arthas. I know. It's just... I don't know how to say it" she paused and avoided my glance by staring at her cup. She took a deep breath and then spoke again "It's not that I'm mad at you because our father died and our kingdom was left in ruins. I know that it's not your fault because the Lich King has controlled you. It's just... I don't know..."

"C'mon sister. You can speak freely with me. You don't need to hold back because you fear that you could hurt me. I'm responsible for the destruction of our kingdom. I may have not caused it intentionally but I'm definitely not innocent"

She frowned, her eyes widened a little in surprise and her lips parted as if she was about to say something. I pressed my index finger on her lips, silencing her. She gave me a look of confusion. She took my hand and guided it away from her mouth.

She parted her lips again, this time saying something. "You shouldn't blame yourself, Arthas. I'm not happy about the events of the past but I wouldn't take it out on you. That wouldn't be fair"

"You are wrong, Calia" I said and ignored the look on her face which told me that she was a lot more confused than before. "Nothing would have happened if I wouldn't have gone to Northrend and picked up this cursed runeblade. Father would be still alive. Our kingdom would still stand. Quel'Thalas would have a larger population and Sylvanas Windrunner would never have died and wouldn't try to kill me. Everyone's life would be better if I wouldn't have found Frostmourne"

"You can't know that. You forget that the Cult of the Damned and this Mal'Ganis had threatened our population. Who knows what would have happened if they had been successful and turned most of the population into undead creatures. You looked for a solution to save our kingdom. You couldn't have known that this runeblade would change you. Otherwise, you would have never picked it up"

"You can't know that, sister. I was blinded by anger and thirst for vengeance back then so that I hadn't been able to think clearly. I believe that I would have considered to take it even though if I would have known what it would do to me. As I have said, I hadn't been able to think clearly back then"

Calia frowned and caressed her forehead. She made a thoughtful face while she looked at me and figured out a response. We remained silent for a few minutes, just staring at the other.

She spoke eventually, her voice sounded a lot softer and more sympathetic. "It doesn't matter anymore, Arthas. We could spend hours and philosophize about what could have happened and what could have been prevented but this wouldn't change anything. We have to accept the past and leave it behind us. We have to concentrate on the presence and on the future"

"You are right" I responded and caressed her hand softly, giving her a warm smile.

"I know" she replied and gave me a teasing grin. "Let's talk about something else"

"What do you have in mind?" I asked and took her empty cup. I stood up and walked to the other table on which the teapot was standing. I refilled her cup with the remains of the tea in the pot. I refilled the pot with water and put the kettle on in case that Calia wanted another cup of tea.

I walked back to the table, on which Calia was sitting, and sat down on the chair I used to sit on. She thanked me and enclosed her hands around the blue cup, taking a sip. She closed her eyes for a moment where she enjoyed the tea's taste.

She opened her eyes and said. "I don't know. Let's talk about you and Jaina". She gave me a teasing smile, her eyes lightened up in interest.

I leaned back a little and rubbed the back of my head, running my fingers through my silver hair. "Well, there is not much to say about us. She has forgiven me for everything I have done and... Well, we are together again. There is not much else to say"

"How long are you together?"

"Almost a year. She managed to free me from the Lich King's control almost eleven months ago. I have needed about a month to get used to the current situation but then our relationship had started to rekindle. I can't say that our relationship is like the one we had when we were alive. It's different but not worse. We have grown up over the years and are a lot more mature. We have learned that its useless to shut oneself off from the other. We have learned that we need to talk a lot more to make our relationship work. We can't ignore what happened in the past but we have learned from the mistakes we, especially I, have made"

I wanted to tell her more about my relationship with Jaina. I wanted to tell her how Jaina and I had changed over the years. How different our behaviours had become. How much better our synergy had become. I wanted to say so much more but I didn't find the right words to express what I was feeling so I didn't say anything else and just smiled at her.

"I'm glad to hear that. I have known from the beginning that you and Jaina would make a perfect couple. Mother, father and every person in Lordaeron had known it. You and Jaina would have gotten married and ruled over the kingdom eventually" she made a small pause, her voice suddenly sounded a lot sadder. "If the Scourge would never have attacked the population of Lordaeron".

I noticed that tears formed in her eyes and her expression became very sad. I didn't know what was going on but I assumed that she was thinking about something in the past. Maybe about a tragic event caused by the invasion of the Scourge.

I put my hand on her left cheek, caressing it softly. I lifted her chin and gave her an understanding and comforting look. "You have also lost a very important person to the Scourge. A person who didn't belong to our family, right?"

She didn't respond verbally. She just gave me a nod and wiped a tear away which rolled over her cheek. I got up and walked to her, hugging her tightly without saying anything. I didn't know for how long I hugged her but I knew that this was very effective to comfort her.

I let her go eventually and walked back to my chair, sitting down. She stared at me, lips pressed to a thin line. She was having a thoughtful look on her face as if she was debating if she should tell me something or not. I gave her a warm and convincing smile, signalizing with my eyes that she could trust me and tell me about everything which was bothering her.

She gave me a weak smile. Her expression still reflected the pain and loss she was feeling when thinking over whatever she wanted to tell me. "I have met a man a few years before the plague ravaged Lordaeron" she made a small pause and looked at me. Her eyes asked me if she should continue or not. I gave her a nod, signalizing her that I would listen.

"His name was Marcus Thornpicker. He was a very handsome and charming man. In father's eyes, he would have been just an ordinary man without a rank if he would have known about him. Father would have never appreciated our relationship because Marcus was an ordinary tailor, that's why I have kept it secret. I loved our father but he would have never understood how Marcus really was. He was better than most noblemen who were only interested in me because of my looks and because I was the princess of Lordaeron. None of them really liked me because of myself" she made a small pause, still looking sad. She stared at me for a few moments before she continued.

"Marcus was different. He didn't saw me as the beautiful piece of meat which would give him a lot of influence and money. He saw me as the person I was and loved me because of myself and not of my money or my family name. He really cared about me and did everything to help me without asking for a favour in return. I wasn't able to spend much time with him, at least not as much time as I wanted to, because I hadn't wanted that father would get suspicious. I met Marcus up to three times a week for a few hours at least. Most of the times we had met outside the city during midnight so that nobody would have been able to see us" she paused once again and observed my face. I gave her a comforting look and caressed the back of her hands with my thumbs.

"You could have told me everything back then. I would have kept your secrets" I spoke softly and leaned over to press a soft kiss on her forehead. I looked at her, noticing that the grieve and despair were slowly fading out of her face.

"I know but I was too scared. I've decided to tell nobody. Not you, not Jaina and especially not my other friends"

"Well, I think that father wouldn't have liked it but he would have accepted it eventually. He loved you after all. He also accepted my relationship"

"Yeah but this is a completely different story. Jaina is the daughter of a well-respected and influential admiral. She is the daughter of the former Lord Admiral of Kul Tiras. Your marriage would have sealed the cooperation between Lordaeron - the Alliance in general - and Kul Tiras. Father knew that you two fit perfectly together. He was happy that you were together with the woman you love, especially because your marriage would have given him another ally he could have counted on during hard times. There was no reason for him to speak out against your relationship". Once again, she made a small pause, this time a loud sigh escaped her lips. "Father would have looked for an arranged marriage for me to gain a political advantage if he would have found out that my heart belonged to a tailor"

"That's not right sister and you know it. Father could have arranged a marriage for you much earlier if he wanted but he didn't because he wanted that you marry someone you really love" I responded and stared into her beautiful blue orbs.

"That may be true but he would only accept a relationship with a nobleman. Even if he had a low rank it would have been better than a tailor in his eyes"

"I have a different opinion about this but we shouldn't argue about this. It doesn't matter anymore if our father would have accepted your relationship or not. You wanted to tell me something else. I know that it hurts to speak about lost loved ones but it's better when you speak with someone about it. You will see that you will feel a lot better as soon as you have told someone"

"You are right, Arthas. I should continue to talk about my original topic"

"Yes, you should" I responded and took her hand in mine, giving her another comforting smile.

"To be honest, there is nothing much else to say. Our secret relationship lasted for a few years until the plague infected the population of our former kingdom. Marcus was in a small village to sell his products when it happened" she paused because her voice broke off. A lot of emotions were visible on her face. Sadness, grief, despair and many other negative emotions. Her watery eyes didn't look at me. Instead, her gaze rested at the ceiling. I stood up, leaned over and hugged her. I spoke comforting words in her ear, reassuring her to speak further.

I didn't stop hugging her even though she continued to explain what had happened. Her voice broke off for five or six times but she managed to tell me what had happened exactly. She told me that a guard had informed her about the sad fate of Marcus. He had been bitten to death by former citizens which had been turned into ghouls by the plague. The guard had told had her that Marcus had become one of them and had eventually been killed and burned by my men.

"I'm so sorry, Calia" I said quietly and hugged her tighter.

"It's not your fault. He died before the fall of Lordaeron. His death is the fault of Kel'Thuzad and his Cult of the Damned. You killed this wicked necromancer and avenged Marcus' death"

"Well..." I started but she cut me off.

"I know that you raised him later but it was not you who did it. It was only your body which acted but it was the Lich King who controlled your body. He is responsible for all of this and not you"

"I'm glad that you are seeing it like this"

"You are my brother. I'm always on your side"

"Thank you, Calia" I whispered and kissed her forehead. She chuckled and caressed my cheeks with her hands. We pulled away eventually, smiling at each other. We kept staring at each other for a while, not saying anything. I turned around when I heard that the door was opened and spotted my very exhausted girlfriend.

I stood up and walked to Jaina who practically fell into my arms. She put her arms around my neck and placed her head on my shoulder, closing her eyes. I put my hands on her back, making sure that she wouldn't slip out of my arms.

"Is something wrong, my love?" I asked, sounding worried. I regarded her, noticing that she wasn't having any injuries. This discovery allowed me to relax a little even though I was still wondering why she was so exhausted.

"No, honey. Everything is alright" she spoke quietly and snuggled closer to me.

"It's hard to believe that. You look really exhausted"

She opened her eyes, her beautiful blue eyes stared into mine. Her lips formed a small smile. "I'm fine Arthas. Really. Rhonin, Vissia, the Dragon Aspects and I had performed a few complicated spells to find out the truth about your assassination"

"What have you found out?" asked Calia. The curiosity in her voice was unmistakable.

"We found out that Sylvanas' servants didn't attack Arthas. We don't know for sure who it was but we think that someone has initiated all of this to let us believe that Sylvanas did this. The person was not the real Dark Ranger Lyana because spies had seen her in Undercity at the same moment where Arthas had been attacked. We assume that whoever had attacked Arthas had been disguised as Lyana" responded Jaina.

"Who tells us that the dark ranger in Undercity was not the disguised one? Maybe it was their plan to make us believe that Lyana didn't attack Arthas. Maybe it was really her who killed Arthas"

"The spies had followed the ranger in Undercity and used a spell on her to find out if her appearance was real or just a disguise. The result proved that the real Lyana had stayed in Undercity while the fake had killed Arthas.

"But who would try to let us believe that Sylvanas did this?" I asked and kept looking at Jaina.

The beautiful woman in my arms didn't hesitate and formulated an answer. "One of the only factions which would benefit from a war between the Alliance and the Horde"

"You mean the Scourge, right? Haven't you told me that they are under your control?" asked Calia, making a confused face.

"Well, we have only sent a few smaller armies about one thousand soldiers back to Icecrown. Currently, we only control a small portion of the entire Scourge army. We have been very busy during the past week so I wasn't able to go with Arthas to Icecrown Citadel. But I don't believe that it was the Scourge who did this. They would rather try to kidnap us and try to gain control over us. They wouldn't have killed Arthas and would have left his corpse in our room. No, this wouldn't make sense at all. At least, they would have brought his corpse back to Icecrown and raise him there. There is no way that the Scourge did this" explained Jaina.

I had to admit that her conclusion and her arguments made sense. I looked at Calia, whose look on her face told me that she was even more confused than before. She frowned and made a thoughtful face, not saying anything in return.

"But if not the Scourge want a war between us and Horde, who wants it then? she asked, looking at Jaina.

"The Burning Legion" responded Jaina.

"The Burning Legion? Are you serious?"

"Yes, I am" she responded. She gave us a serious look which told us that she was not joking about this.

"The Dragon Aspects have seen a vision which has shown them hints about a possible invasion of the Burning Legion"

"Another invasion of the Burning Legion? Are you serious?" Calia cried out and staggered backward. She was heavily shaking, naked fear was visible in her eyes. I let go of Jaina and approached Calia, wrapped my arms around her. I gave her a comforting hug and whispered a few words to her. She relaxed eventually but still looked scared. At least she wasn't as scared as she had been moments ago.

Calia pulled away from me eventually and gave me an apologizing look. I gave her a small smile and ran my fingers through her blonde hair, ruining her hairstyle with faked pleasure. She chuckled and fixed her hair.

Jaina looked at her and gave her a response to her questions "We don't know anything for sure, we have only received a few hints. But we have to be prepared for everything.

"Jaina is right. We have to warn the Horde about this" I responded.

"You don't need to be afraid, Calia. I know what happened the last time the Burning Legion had invaded us. The result of this invasion had changed not only our lives but also the lives of everyone else on Azeroth. But you have forgotten that we have defeated the Burning Legion years ago during the Battle for Mount Hyjal. We have weakened them a lot, so the extent of their attack will be a lot smaller. Their army won't be such a large threat as it was the last time"

"I hope you are right about this, Jaina" whispered Calia and looked at us nervously.

"We will handle them. Trust me" said Jaina quietly and stepped to my sister, hugging her tightly. She stroked her back and spoke a few comforting words to her. Whatever Jaina had said worked pretty well because the nervousness and worry disappeared out of Calia's face. Jaina pointed at the couch, offering Calia to take the seat.

My sister gave her a small smile but told her that she needs time alone for herself to think about everything. I asked her if she was alright or if she needed something. She told me quickly that she okay and that she wanted to be alone for a while. I gave her a worried look but signalized her that I accepted her decision by nodding my head once. She waved us goodbye and left the room within the same minute.

I shifted my gaze from the door through which Calia had walked to Jaina who was regarding me with an impassive face. I put my hand under her chin, lifting it a bit. She gave me a smile and stepped on her tiptoes so that she was able to reach my lips with hers. I returned the kiss without hesitating.

It was a passionate, soft and long-lasting kiss. A kiss which screamed for more. And its call was answered by Jaina's tongue which parted my lips and invaded my mouth.

Her skilled tongue brushed past mine and licked every reachable corner of my mouth before I was able to do something in return. I managed to put my hand on the back of her head at the same moment as Jaina's hands slipped beneath my tunic. I moaned into a kiss, then I pulled back a little to formulate a few questions. "Are you sure that this is the right time for this? You have just told me that there is the possibility that the Burning Legion could invade Azeroth. Shouldn't we inform King Varian about this?"

"I have already informed him about this. He is writing a letter to Thrall at this very moment. Vereesa is doing the same to her sister. Don't worry we will deal with the Burning Legion. But for now, I'm too exhausted to do anything that has to do with work. I just want to relax a little. What is more relaxing than spending time with the man I love?"

I knew that the question was rhetorical because 'nothing' was the only answer she was accepting. I smiled at her. My eyes widened when her hands passed my waistline. I would have taken a deep breath if I would have been alive. Instead, I parted my lips but no air was sucked in.

"I have been busy during the past days so I wasn't able to give you your birthday present" she whispered and began to cover my neck with kisses.

"Birthday present?" I asked confused. "I haven't celebrated my birthday for years"

"I know" she spoke and gave me a determined look. "But I want that you celebrate it again like the good old days"

"A lot of people are cursing the day I was born" I responded. Jaina shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"Shut up and accept your gift already" she responded and snapped with her fingers. I blinked in surprise when I noticed that she was suddenly standing in front of me, wearing nothing but a black erotic bra and matching panties.

"You know exactly how the perfect gift for a man looks like" I commented and started to ogle her.

"Of course, this is not the only gift I have for you. I will give the others to you later" she responded and began to remove my tunic. She was a lot faster than I had expected because someone had helped her. I frowned and turned my head a little so that I was able to see who was standing behind me.

My jaw dropped and my eyes widened in surprise when I saw that a mirror image of Jaina was standing right behind me. Like Jaina, it was wearing the same underwear. I looked back at the real Jaina, noticing that her appearance had changed. She was looking like the living Jaina back in the days before Stratholme. I knew it was just an illusion but I still liked it. I had to admit that I really loved to see Jaina looking like this. Of course, I loved her undead appearance but it was nothing compared to the appearance of the young Jaina during her twenties.

The living Jaina gave me a wide smirk and said "I've thought that ordinary sex wouldn't be worthy for a birthday present so I've cast a few spells to make it special" The mirror image began to massage my shoulders and put kisses on them. "We hope you like it" it spoke.

"Close your eyes and relax, honey" whispered my Jaina with such an erotic voice that I got very aroused. My Jaina chuckled and removed my pants, kneeling in front of me. "Let the fun begin" spoke the undead Jaina and turned my head to press a passionate kiss on my lips.


	31. Surprises

"Hey, Arthas. Stop peeking or you will spoil the surprise" scolded Jaina and put her hands on mine, preventing that I was able to see through the small slit between them.

"Ah, c'mon Jaina. I just want to see the presents you have told me about. I want to see what is better than the sex with you and the mirror image. I'm curious what it is. It has to be very special if it shall be better than your first present" I responded and made a step closer to Jaina. I wish I could hug her and bury my head in her neck but I had promised her to hold my hands in front of my eyes. I wish I hadn't given this promise because I wanted to see her lovely face and the gift, she wanted to give me.

"Be patient, honey. You will receive your presents"

"Presents?" I asked curiously.

"Yes, Arthas. Presents. Plural not Singular"

"The best sex of my life and more than one present on the same day. That's the best belated birthday I ever had" I responded and smiled widely.

She chuckled and took one of my hands, intertwining our fingers while she held her other hand over my eyes. She wasn't able to block my entire view but she covered enough of my vision so that I was not able to recognize where she was guiding me. We walked for a while, eventually stopping in a room. She kept holding her other hand over my eyes and turned me a little. She put a soft kiss on my left cheek before she took her hand away and allowed me to regard my surroundings.

I was standing in the middle of a medium-sized room which walls were painted in royal blue. The floor was covered by a sky-blue carpet which showed the symbol of the Alliance - A blue and golden lion

There was no furniture in the room and the only decoration were two paintings. Two extraordinary beautiful paintings. I didn't need to look twice to recognize that they had been painted by a really talented person.

I regarded these masterpieces which portrayed Jaina and me. The first one was a painting of Jaina wearing a beautiful blue dress and sitting, almost lying, on a bench. The second painting showed Jaina and me in our best-looking formal clothes. We are standing close to each other, my left hand rested on her back while my other hand held hers. It looked like we were dancing to a harmonious melody. Our images were smiling at each other, looking happily in the other's eyes. This looked so well-done and romantically that I couldn't help myself and wipe the tear away which ran over my cheeks.

"Oh Jaina, this is so... astonishingly perfect. I have expected a lot but I have never reckoned upon this. Thank you, honey. Thank you so much" I whispered quietly - my voice sounded very emotional.

I put my hand on the back of her head and pulled her in, sealing my lips to hers. We shared a passionate kiss which we held for at least half an hour. We pulled away after this hungry, for more longing kiss and stared in each other's eyes.

"I'm glad that you like it" she said and put her left hand on my cheek, caressing it softly.

"I would be a fool if I wouldn't like it. But I'm not sure if I like it more than the threesome" I spoke quietly and gave her a cheeky grin, pulling her in once again to press a hungry kiss on her lips. She returned the kiss and allowed my tongue to go wild in her mouth. She moaned into the kiss and pressed herself against my body. She received a wide grin from me as her large breasts came in contact with my muscular chest.

"If you keep kissing me like this and pressing your body against mine, I might come to the conclusion that you want another round" I whispered softly in her ear and put a hand on her well-formed ass, kneading it softly. A low moan escaped her lips, telling me to go on. Her next moan was a bit louder and I could tell by the look on her face that she was really enjoying it. But she didn't make the next step nor did she signalize me to continue.

Instead, she made a step backwards and gave me an apologizing look. "I love it when we spend these special moments together but we have work to do today. I know you want to celebrate your birthday but we have to do that on another day. Varian has allowed us to go to Icecrown Citadel and bring Kel'Thuzad and Lana'thel under our control. With them on our side, no minion of the Scourge will be able to resist us."

I groaned but signalized her that I will join her. She gave me a smile and opened a portal. She regarded the portal, then she regarded me and told it with a nod that I should walk through it. I didn't hesitate and walked to the portal even though I couldn't be sure if this portal will really bring us to Icecrown Citadel. This portal could take us anywhere but I trusted Jaina so I stepped through it without asking her where the portal will lead us.

I stepped out of the portal, noticing that it had brought us to the right place. We were standing on top of Icecrown Citadel in the middle of the icy platform. I looked at the Frozen Throne on which I had spent a lot of time planning the campaigns against the living while I had been controlled by the Lich King. The empty seat seemed to invite me to sit down on it but I refused, knowing that nothing good will ever happen if I would take a seat on that cursed throne.

I turned around and looked at the love of my life who was regarding me with interest.

"Is something wrong?" I asked, wondering why Jaina was looking at me like this.

"Nothing, honey" she responded and took my hand, dragging me to the teleporting platform. We used it and arrived on the second highest level on which the Crimson Hall, The Plagueworks and the Frostwing Halls were located. We were standing in Spire which connected all three areas. We knew that Lana'thel was spending most of her time in the Crimson Hall but we didn't know where Kel'Thuzad was. We were hoping that Lana'thel knew it so we decided to go to her first.

We walked over the long bridge which led us to the entrance of the Hall. Two abominations were standing in front of it. They bowed to us without hesitating. Jaina rose Frostmourne and signalized the guards to step aside. They obeyed and allowed us to walk through the entrance. We walked through the bordering corridor, spotting a few San'layns who were bowing to us as well.

We passed a few groups of these undead elves until we arrived in the anteroom in which Lana'thel's strongest followers had lived before they had been killed during the siege on Icecrown Citadel. Jaina had told me that Prince Taldaram, Prince Keleseth and Prince Valanar had been defeated by members of the Alliance four years ago.

Instead of those three princes, only one San'layn was occupying this room. I didn't know his name, neither had Jaina told me that he existed, meaning that he must be a newer servant of the Scourge who had joined the Scourge not long ago.

He was sitting on a large chair which reminded me on a throne. He was wearing silver coloured armour which seemed to be made out of a magic resistant material. He had a long red cape which should reach to his feet. It seemed that his face had been handsome in life. He didn't look bad at all but his pale skin and the red glowing eyes reduced his handsomeness. A thick ugly scar ran from his left eye to his chin. I didn't know why but for whatever reason I was assuming that he was a mage.

This man turned his head to look at us when we entered the room. He smiled at us, revealing his sharp and pointed fangs. He got up and regarded the sword in Jaina's hands, bowing to us at the next moment.

Jaina walked closer to the man, signalizing him to get up. He obeyed and regarded her with interest. "Identify yourself, servant" she spoke and regarded him with narrowed eyes. It was only natural for Jaina to be suspicious about any new servant of the Scourge after Alon had managed to join the Scourge without getting noticed.

There were only two options. Either he was very good at infiltrating other organizations or someone from the Scourge's leadership had betrayed us. The reason for our visit to Icecrown was not only to get the entire leadership under our control. The secondary reason was to find out who was the mole in the Scourge. The recent joining of this undead vampire was reason enough to be suspicious.

Jaina walked around the man, regarding him from all angles while she waited for an answer.

"My name is Zaen Bloodcaller. I'm Blood Queen Lana'thel's right hand" he responded, not showing any sign of intimidation.

"Lana'thel's right hand? I didn't know that she had a right hand since her precious princes were killed by the Alliance. She hasn't even looked for replacements over the past four years so why was she recently looking for another right hand?"

"To be honest, I don't know why she did this, your majesty. She had found my corpse in the tomb of my family and raised me for whatever reason. She had tested my skills and made me to her right hand" the undead elf responded. I regarded him closely but I wasn't able to spot any signs which indicated that he was lying to us. I couldn't be sure but I assumed that he was telling us the truth.

"When have you been raised?" asked Jaina and stopped in front of him after she had walked at least five rounds around him.

"A few weeks ago, your majesty" responded the undead elf.

"Good to know. We are here because we want to speak with your mistress"

Zaen just nodded and turned around. I noticed the barely recognizable love bite, in the small moment where he looked at the entrance to Lana'thel's domain - The love bite was on the right side of his neck which was exposed for a short moment before it was covered up by his long silver coloured hair.

He invited us to follow him, guiding us to Lana'thel's majestic room. We arrived in Lana'thel's personal room which walls had the same colour of the precious blood she loved to drink. The floor was covered by a blood-red carpet which was decorated with patterns. These patterns reminded me of vampire fangs.

Lana'thel was lazily sitting on her throne. Her usual tied brown hair hung loose and reached to her ass. Her face reflected boredom. Her eyes lightened up a little when she saw us. She got up but waited a few minutes before she bowed down to us.

"I knew that I can find you here" spoke Jaina and walked to Lana'thel, scrutinizing her from above. I rarely leave my domain, mistress. Only if I have to fulfil a task" she explained and stared back at Jaina, not daring to stand up without her permission.

I had to admit that Jaina was really intimidating when she was acting like the Lich Queen. Her glances were strict, her eyes always narrowed, her lips formed a thin line, giving her an impassive and emotionless face. Her entire appearance was demanding for respect and it worked pretty well. Not a single undead creature dared to question her decisions or contradict her.

"I didn't know that you have a new loyal servant. I didn't know that you were looking for a replacement for the three princes" spoke Jaina. Her voice sounded cold and uninterested but her eyes told Lana'thel that she demanded an explanation.

"Well, I was bored, to be honest, so I went to my former home and looked for a replacement which would be worthy enough. I raised several corpses of former high elves and trained them. At last, I ordered them to fight until only one was left. Zaen was the winner of this competition. I trained him and choose him as my right hand and bodyguard. He will protect me if the living creatures dare to invade our domain again" she explained.

"I'm pretty sure that you know that Sylvanas has managed to sneak one of her agents in our ranks. This could mean that we have a traitor in our ranks who had helped Alon to infiltrate us. I want to know who it is. Did you do it? Be honest to me, Lana'thel"

The Blood Queen looked at her without changing her facial expression. "I would never betray the Scourge. I would never give information to this whore also knowns as Banshee Queen. Especially because she and I have a score to settle"

"What did she do to deserve your hatred?" I asked interestedly. Lana'thel regarding me for a short moment before she responded. "She broke my heart when we were alive. She cheated on me with this dumb whore Velonara. I have sworn that I would never forgive her". Her voice sounded strict, her face looked determined, telling me that she was meaning it serious.

I looked at Jaina who gave me a barely recognizable nod which told me that she believed her.

"Alright, Lana'thel. Would you do me a favour and tell me where Kel'Thuzad is?" she asked.

"Of course, my queen. He is in the library and looks for a few books"

"Thank you" responded Jaina and gave her a small smile and a quick nod.

"I help where I can" responded vampire and made a curtsey. Jaina nodded her head once again and gave me a signal. I didn't hesitate and followed her out of Lana'thel's room. We ignored the curious look from Zaen and left the Crimson Hall as fast as possible.

We walked to the teleporter in the spire and used it. We arrived in front of the huge library which entrance was at least seven hundred feet tall. Two undead giants were standing in front of the massive columns of the gate. They had been ordered to let only Lana'thel, Kel'Thuzad, the members of the Cult of the Damned and us in the library. The two bowed down to us and looked at us as soon as they had noticed our presence. Jaina I pointed Frostmourne in their direction, signalizing them to let us enter.

They stood up and walked to the gate's double doors, opening them by pushing themselves against them. The double doors opened with a loud creak, allowing us to peek in the library. We saw dozens of shelves which were overfilled with books of various sizes, colours and widths.

I noticed that the library was a lot taller than Jaina had described. It was by far the largest room of the citadel. I tried to guess how many shelves were standing in this room but I gave up when I noticed that I wasn't even able to tell where the room ended. There were so many lines with dozens of shelves that it was hard to keep an overview. We saw a few members of the Cult of the Damned who were in charge of this library.

Jaina signalized them to come to us. They obeyed and walked to us as fast as possible. Jaina asked them where Kel'Thuzad was but none of them knew the exact compartment in which Kel'Thuzad was. Jaina dismissed them and lifted her wand, beginning to cast a spell. I found out very soon what this spell was able to do. The spell increased the volume of her voice so that she was able to scream Kel'Thuzad's name through the entire library.

The lich appeared a few moments later through a portal. He bowed to us, lowering his skeletal head in respect.

"Lord Menethil, Mistress" he greeted and looked at us.

"It has been a long time, Kel'Thuzad"

"Almost half a year to be exact, my queen"

"How are you doing?" he asked and observed the lich. I nearly chuckled when I saw the confused look on the lich's face. His loose jaw and his widened eyes made him look hilarious. It was safe to say that he hadn't expected her to ask her such a normal question.

"Well, I'm fine I guess" he responded eventually and regarded us with curiosity and interest.

"So, you are not bored?" probed Jaina.

"Why should I be bored?" he asked, looking more confused than before.

"You may have noticed that we aren't active anymore. This means that you have nothing to do either"

"Of course, I have noticed that. I was wondering why we aren't attacking the mortals but I guess that this is a part of your superior plan to defeat the mortal bastards. You are spending time with them to make them trust you again and then you will betray them"

"That's my plan" responded Jaina, scrutinizing Kel'Thuzad closely.

"I knew it" he responded, euphorically rubbing his hands together. It was an understatement to say that he looked hilarious while doing that. It was a miracle that this skeleton was able to smile at all because he had no lips which could form such any kind of a smile.

"By the way, what are you doing in general?" I asked curiously.

"Nothing important at all. I'm not allowed to act without the Lich Queen's permission so I'm spending my time in the citadel, training cult members or studying in this library. Nothing noteworthy"

"What are you studying" asked Jaina and began to walk circles around him. The lich's gaze followed her. It didn't surprise me at all that Kel'Thuzad was able to turn around his head for three hundred sixty degrees. He was a powerful undead creature which was capable of a lot but he wasn't capable to hide that something was troubling him and making him nervous.

Jaina's gaze still rested on him. Her face was telling that she was waiting for an answer. Kel'Thuzad hesitated for a moment before he gave her an answer. I didn't know the reason for his short moment of hesitation but it looked for me as if he wanted to hide something. Maybe he wanted to hide what he was really doing in this library instead of studying. Jaina seemed to believe him that he was looking for a few forbidden spells. I, on the other hand, didn't believe him.

I didn't know why I wasn't believing him but I have noticed that something was fishy about Kel'Thuzad. He was acting weird from my perspective. I looked at Jaina, the combination of the look on my face and a certain gesture told her that I was suspecting Kel'Thuzad. She raised an eyebrow and gave me a questionable look. Her face went normal when Kel'Thuzad looked at her again after he had regarded his bony fingers for a few moments.

I was pretty sure that this was another sign that something was wrong with him. I didn't remember any memories of me and him of the past but I had a strong feeling that Kel'Thuzad didn't normally behave that way.

"We assume that one of the Scourge's leadership is a traitor. Do you have any suggestions who it could be?" I spoke eventually and stepped closer to him, looking at him intimidatingly. I ignored the confused look Jaina was giving me and stepped closer until I was directly standing in front of the lich whose eyes showed nervousness.

"Well, I would have never believed that someone would dare to betray us How do you know that we have been betrayed?" he asked Jaina and looked at her as if he was hoping that I would fall silent because Jaina was speaking to him.

I was not happy that he didn't show me the necessary respect so I put my hand on his shoulder, turning him around so that he was forced to look in my strict and totally-serious face. I didn't miss that the lich's lower jaw was trembling as if he was afraid of me. I didn't know that I was that intimidating but it seemed that even undead were afraid of me.

I looked back at Jaina whose look told me that she was believing as well that something was not wrong with him.

"Why are you so nervous, Kel?" I asked, not waiting for his response to my previous question.

"Me? Nervous? No, that's not true" he stuttered, trying hard to stay cool. He didn't succeed at all. I had met Kel'Thuzad only a few times over the past year but I had never seen him behaving like this, nor had Jaina told me that he was normally behaving like a paranoid teenager. She had told me that he was very calm and never showed any form of emotions except joy about the pain our enemies were feeling.

"What is wrong with you, Kel'Thuzad? You are acting strange" responded Jaina coldly and came closer, flanking him from the other side. Kel'Thuzad stood between us and was not able to get away. He turned his head a few times, looking at our strict faces. His lower jaw was moving nervously as if he was chewing on something

"Nothing is wrong with me. I promise" he responded. His stuttering made his responses less convincing than they already were.

"I don't believe you" Jaina statemented and held Frostmourne's tip right in front of his skeletal head. He staggered backwards and collided with me. I didn't shrink back, continuing to regard him with a cold expression on my face.

"I would never betray you, mistress. I've supported the Scourge from the very beginning. I belong to the ones who planned the spreading of the plague in Lordaeron. I helped Lord Arthas to get free from the Legion and I have done everything to make the Scourge powerful" responded the lich, sounding less afraid and a bit angrier. Jaina didn't respond nor did she pull the sword away. The cold look she was giving him also made me afraid of her. She was very intimidating when she was looking like this.

Kel'Thuzad's eyes widened and he lifted his hands as if he wanted to apologize. "I would never betray you. You have to believe me" he screamed hysterically with a voice which was much higher than his usual voice.

"I have never said anything that you have betrayed me. I only asked what is wrong with your behaviour. But I guess there is a reason that you are thinking that I think that you have betrayed me. I know you for a while Kel, so tell me what is wrong with you. Be honest and I may consider to spare you for whatever you have done which could be counted as treason"

"But I haven't betrayed you, mistress" the lich exclaimed.

"Your behaviour and your posture are telling me something else" said Jaina coldly and pressed the tip of Frostmourne against Kel'Thuzad's chin, causing that his entire body started shaking. I noticed the smile which appeared on Jaina's lips when she recognized fear in Kel'Thuzad's blue glowing eyes.

"Tell me what you have done" she shouted out and pushed him against me once again. The lich repelled from my body and landed on the ground. Jaina looked down at him and waited until he had gotten to his feet before putting a hand under his chin and forcing him to look at her.

"Alright I will tell you everything but please promise me that you won't kill me" he stuttered. It was unmistakable that he was really afraid of her. No. Afraid was an understatement. He was terrified of her.

"I cannot promise you that but I can promise that your chances of survival are going to get better if you tell us the truth"

Kel'Thuzad just nodded and pressed the palms of his bony hands together, making a face which told me that he was considering what to say. Jaina showed patience and didn't put more pressure on the already intimidated lich.

"The truth is" said Kel'Thuzad quietly and made a pause before he continued. "That I've coincidentally met one of Sylvanas' dark rangers a few weeks ago when I have travelled from a small base in the Howling Fjord to Utgarde Keep. I decided against traveling by a portal because I wanted to raise the corpses I would find on the way. The Dark Ranger's name was Lyana if I remember correctly. I've expected that she and her companions would attack me but instead, she had started to threaten me"

"She threatened you? How?" asked Jaina and didn't hide that she wasn't believing his story.

"She told me that she knew where my phylactery is. I haven't believed her but then she told me the exact location where I have hidden it. I've gotten into a panic when I've realized that she could kill me forever if she wanted, so I agreed to her demands" he spoke, looking more nervous than before.

"So, you decided to tell her the information without checking if the phylactery is gone or not. Maybe she was just bluffing"

"I checked it with a magical orb and noticed that it was gone. I had no other choice than agreeing to her demands. I'm more useful for the Scourge alive than dead" he explained, playing with his bony fingers nervously.

"So, this dark ranger has your phylactery, right?" asked Jaina. Her raised eyebrow told me that she was not believing Kel'Thuzad's story.

"She had it but then she gave it back to me when I smuggled Alon in our ranks" responded Kel, not sounding convincing at all.

"So, why haven't you told us that she has forced you to betray us after she has given your phylactery back? There was no reason for you to keep lying" spoke Jain. The look she was giving him demanded an answer.

"Well, I..." he started but wasn't able to finish his sentence because Jaina separated his head with a quick swing of her sword. I turned my head and gave her a very surprised look. The look she gave me told me that I shouldn't judge rashly. She shifted her gaze back to Kel'Thuzad's corpse and pointed at it, signalizing me to take a closer look at it.

I did, noticing that the corpse didn't dissolve but began to change instead. The body took the form of the body of a dreadlord with purple skin. I had seen dreadlords before, still, the look of this miserable creature caused that I felt a little unpleasant. I didn't remember that dreadlords looked so scary. I regarded the corpse for a few moments, noticing that Jaina's hand rested on my shoulder. She put her other hand on my cheek and turned my head so that I was looking directly at her.

Her face showed worry but also contained a gentle smile. She stepped on her tiptoes and kissed my cheek softly, then she looked back at the corpse and scrutinized it when it dissolved and was pulled back in the Twisting Nether.

"I knew something was wrong with him. The Kel'Thuzad we knew would have never behaved like this and he would have never betrayed the Scourge even if someone would have found his phylactery. He would rather die than betray the Scourge"

"You are right. I can't remember the time where I have worked with him but I have gotten the impression over the past year that he is a very loyal person. Him betraying us wouldn't make sense" I said.

"I don't know who this demon was but he has passed himself off as Kel'Thuzad"

"Where is our Kel'Thuzad then?" I asked.

"I don't know. I guess we have to go to the Frozen Throne to find out where he is" she responded and took my hand, intertwining our fingers.

"Sounds like a plan" I responded and gave her a small smile. She returned the smile and dragged me to the entrance. We ignored the shocked and surprised expressions on the faces of the members of the Cult of the Damned when we left the room.

We followed the corridor back to the teleporting platform. We suddenly stopped when saw a female human servant who was alive and carried a plate with food in her hands. I noticed that Jaina was having the same confused expression on her face. We followed the servant silently, wanting to know where she was going.

The servant was in her thirties, had short blonde hair and looked averagely beautiful. She was slender and the blue robe she was wearing didn't show any of her curves. The woman stopped after she had walked for almost five minutes in front of an ordinary looking door. I had never been in the sector where she had guided us so I couldn't know what was behind the door.

We waited until the servant opened the door and entered the room. We entered the room as well, looking around as soon as we were in. The room was nicely furnished in a style a human child would really like. There were a few small chairs, a small table, wardrobes and other pieces of furniture in the room. There was a bed in front of the room's right wall. On this bed sat a young, healthy-looking human boy in the age of seven who was playing with two toy knights. He had natural coloured skin and blond hair.

I found Jaina's eyes on mine which delivered an unspoken question. I shrugged with my shoulders, telling her that I didn't know that this room existed. We got closer to the boy who was still playing with his toys. I noticed that one of these toy knights looked similar to me. Maybe I was just imaging this but the knight was wearing golden armour, had silver coloured hair and was carrying a massive hammer.

I noticed that the woman was looking at us with a shy smile on her lips. She had placed the plate on the small table behind her and seemed to wait for new commands.

The boy looked up, his cute face showed a happy smile. He walked to us and stopped right in front of me, regarding me with a much bigger smile.

"You have returned, daddy" he shouted happily and lifted his arms, signalizing me that he wanted to be hugged.

"Daddy?" Jaina and I asked at the same time.

The servant chuckled and came closer. "Yes, Lord Menethil. This kid is your son"


	32. Right and Wrong

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've really struggled if I should upload this chapter the way I've written this. I thought about big changes which could have a big impact on the story but I've decided to not change it. I assume that some people will like this new aspect while others won't like it. I don't know, to be honest.
> 
> Maybe, some of you think it's unnecessary. Maybe not, I don't know. I wanted to write it this way because I've big plans. You already know that I love to add unexpected things in this story.
> 
> Remember, I haven't planned on making a bad ending. So, enjoy this and future chapters

_Arthas' son?_

_Arthas' son!_

_How...How could this be possible?_

_There was no way that Arthas had a son_

_There has to be another explanation_

_There has to be..._

I blinked in surprise and closed my mouth. My eyes rested on Arthas whose eyes were widened as well. His lips were parted, his mouth was half opened. His gaze rested on the little boy in front of him who was regarding him with curiosity but also with happiness.

I looked at the servant as if I was asking for help or for answers. She gave me a shy smile but didn't say anything.

"What do you mean with this?" I exclaimed. The servant frowned and regarded me for a few moments before she answered. "He is Lord Menethil's son. That's what I've said"

"You can't be serious" I responded, regarding her closely to find out if she was lying or not. She didn't seem to be nervous nor did she show signs that she was lying. Either she was a good actress and a good liar or she was speaking the truth.

_No. This can't be the truth. There was no way that Arthas' has a son. She has to be lying_

Thinking about the possibility that Arthas had a son with someone who wasn't me caused that anger started to build up in me. I felt jealous, hurt and betrayed at this moment. I was the only one who was allowed to have children with Arthas. That Arthas had a child also meant that he had had something with another woman in the past. Only the thought about that nearly drove me insane and would have caused that I would have done something stupid which I would regret later. But I managed to catch myself, somehow.

"You have to be lying" I shouted, hoping that she would tell me that this was just a bad joke. But it wasn't and I knew that. But I didn't want to accept it.

"I'm not lying, mistress" she responded calmly and bowed to me. My eyes narrowed and rested on her for a few moments, then I looked at Arthas who hadn't said anything since the woman had made that assertion. He was just looking at the little boy who was looking at him with a worried expression on his little face. I saw that he tried to get Arthas' attention but Arthas just stood there like a statue and did nothing except looking confused.

"No, this is not possible" he whispered quietly after quite some time and gave me an apologizing look. I frowned and tried to look in his eyes but he stared on the ground as if he was ashamed of something.

"Arthas?" I asked and stepped closer to him, putting my hands on his shoulders. He hesitated to look up but his gaze found mine eventually.

"Tell me that she is lying" I shouted demandingly.

"She is lying. There is no way that I have a son" he replied but he didn't sound very confident. It seemed as if Arthas was not sure about this statement at all but he tried to convince me that he was one hundred percent sure about this. I had the bad feeling that there was something he was hiding from me.

"Because you have never slept with another woman except for Selania, right?" I asked sounding more jealous than I wanted. I knew that jealousy was written all over my face without needing to look in a mirror but I didn't know why I was feeling this way.

"Err..." he began but stopped suddenly. Something in my face must have changed that he had become silent and gave me a worried look. Judging by his widened eyes which reflected worry and even fear, I must look as if I was about to murder someone. I noticed that I had clenched one of my fists, the other hand grasped on my wand.

I didn't want to behave like the jealous girlfriend because I didn't want to scare Arthas and drive him away but my body acted on its own and words, which I didn't even formulated in my mind, slipped out of my mouth.

"Do I interpret it right that you slept with other women and didn't tell about this?" I cried out hysterically. I noticed the worried look on the little boy's face when the blonde woman guided him out of the room but I didn't make a comment about it.

I was very upset that Arthas had hidden something from me. After all these years, after everything we went through, he was still keeping secrets from me. At least I was assuming this because Arthas hadn't given me an answer yet.

"Well, it's true that I had a few lovers here and there after we broke up but none of them mattered to me" he exclaimed and stared into my eyes, giving me another apologizing look.

"So, why haven't you told me about them?" I shouted angrily.

How could he have slept with another woman? I thought he loved me...He had told me a lot of times that he would never want to be together with anyone else. Still, he had moved one after some time and had bedded another woman... How could he?

"Why should I tell you about any of my exes? You haven't told me about yours either"

"Because there was no one else I've slept with. Before and after our relationship"

"You have to be kidding me" he spoke and gave me a surprised look.

"I'm not kidding. I've never shared the bed with someone else" I stared at him, wondering what he was going to say in response. "Unlike you" I added, sounding reproachful for whatever reason.

"You haven't moved on over the years after of our separation nor did you look for a distraction?" he asked and gave me a slightly doubtful look.

"Yes, Arthas. I didn't because I truly love you. There is no one who could replace you. But it seems that you are thinking differently when it comes to me" I hadn't planned on saying the last sentence but it had slipped out of my mouth before I had realized it.

He looked hurt and his voice sounded a little bit sad. "That's not true. I truly love you"

Normally, I would have stopped arguing and would have forgiven him but the thought about Arthas having a son with someone else had made me so angry that I wasn't able to stop myself. I wasn't able to calm down and wasn't able to prevent that I was overwhelmed by the anger I was feeling.

"You wouldn't have cheated on me if you would have truly loved me"

Arthas' facial features derailed. The expression of confusion appeared on his face. "I've never cheated on you, Jaina. How could you even consider that?" he shouted, sounding more hurt than before. "It's true that I've slept with other women but only after we broke up. I've never slept with another woman when we were together"

"You could have told me at least" I hissed.

"I thought that we have left the past behind us and look forward. We have agreed that we don't talk about what happened in the past"

"We have agreed that we don't talk about the actions of the Scourge and the Lich King but I've never mentioned that you should withhold that you have slept with numerous women"

"Hey, that's exaggerated. I only slept with three women during the few years where we had been separated before the events of Stratholme. It's not that I went to every beautiful woman who was attracted by me and slept with her" he responded and crossed his arms in front of his chest. A defiant expression appeared on his face. "Why am I even justifying myself? We weren't together when I spent a few nights with these women so you have no right to be mad at me.

"I'm not mad at you because you slept with them"

He gave me a strict look "Oh, yes you are honey"

My eyes narrowed and I was biting my bottom lip, causing that it burst "No, I'm not"

"Yes, you are"

"No"

"Yes"

"Okay, maybe a little"

Arthas laughed "A little? You are looking like you want to murder every woman who slept with me and every woman who is attracted to me"

"Fine, it's true that I hate to imagine you with another woman. But that's not the point. The point is that you have been lying to me"

"You have told me that we should leave the past behind us. You have to decide what you want. Either we speak about the entire past or we don't speak about it at all"

"You know that I have meant that we don't speak about the actions of the Lich King. This doesn't include your love affairs" I shouted. My narrowed eyes bored into Arthas' eyes which were narrowed as well.

"Be reasonable. I had no love affairs because we weren't together back then"

"And how do you call them then if they are not affairs?" My anger and jealousy blinded me so that I didn't notice that I was behaving like an immature crazy teenager who had found out that her boyfriend was spending time with another girl.

I had no reason to be jealous or angry at Arthas but somehow, I acted exactly how I didn't want to act. I didn't act like the calm Jaina who had managed to establish peace between the Horde and Alliance by keeping a cool head. I acted more like a paranoid version of myself.

I didn't notice that I was hurting Arthas with my provocative responses. I had sworn to protect him but at this very moment, I did the entire opposite.

My jealousy and my anger slowly caused that Arthas got more and more upset which could result in an outburst. I had witnessed that Arthas was capable of making dumb decisions when he was stressed and angry. And he was about to get angry but I didn't care at this moment. I knew that I would regret this later but I kept making pressure on him for whatever reason.

"Short-lived relationships. I'm allowed to have other relationships after a break-up. Or not?"

"You are allowed to shut up because I'm always right"

Arthas closed his eyes and shook his head slowly. He opened his eyes, seeming to be a bit calmer than before. "Do you realize how you are acting, my love?". Even his voice sounded calmer but that didn't change anything for me.

"Stop calling me with names you have said to other women as well"

Arthas shook his head once again, the hurt in his eyes was unmistakable.

"You are acting like a bitch. A jealous, exaggerating bitch. If I wouldn't be able to see you, I would think that I would be talking to Sylvanas Windrunner and not to the love of my life"

A loud sound echoed through the air when my hand hit his left cheek. "Don't you dare to insult me and compare me with this whore after everything she has done to me because she wanted to hurt you"

Arthas face was a mask of shook. His lips were parted and his eyes were widened, telling me that he didn't want to believe what I had said and done.

"What did she do to you?" he asked, sounding shocked.

"She tortured me, raped me and made me suffer for what you have done to her. She had wanted to kill me only to hurt you" I cried out and pushed Arthas away when he was about to approach me and hug me.

"It's all your fault, Arthas. The fate of your people is your fault, your fate is your own fault and my fate as well" I screamed. I ignored the tears which ran down my cheeks when I looked in his shocked and chalk-white face.

"What do you mean with that I'm responsible for your fate. Does this mean that I have something to do with your death?" he asked but I didn't answer nor did I look at him. I rushed out of the room, not feeling in the mood to talk to him anymore. I knew that Arthas would follow me so I used a short-ranged teleporting spell to arrive in another part of the citadel.

I wiped the tears out of my face, sobbing quietly as I followed the corridor no matter where it would lead me. I ignored the confused looks of the guards and ran without having a real destination.

I stopped after a while and checked my surroundings. I was standing in front of a massive door which was at least one thousand feet tall. The door and its frame were decorated with a lot of sculls which eye sockets glowed red. I regarded the fearsome looking door, wondering why I hadn't seen it before. I had lived in Icecrown for more than a year when I had been controlled by the Lich King. Still, I didn't remember having seen this door. I put my hand on the door, pushing it a little.

I managed to open the massive door with only a little amount of strength. I entered the room and looked around curiously. I frowned when I saw that the entire room was empty except for a statue which was standing in the middle of the room.

It was the statue of a dreadlord with purple coloured skin and green piercing eyes. The statue looked at the ceiling, one hand was raised high above the head and clenched to a fist while the other was opened and hung in the near of the dreadlord's face. The dreadlord had two massive, strong wings which came out of her back and protected it like a shield.

I kept regarding the statue, wondering why it was standing in this room I never saw before. There was no reason to have a statue of a demon in a very large empty room. Especially because the Scourge had started to hate the demons since they broke free from the Burning Legion. I looked at the statue once again, trying to find out why I felt so nervous since I had noticed it.

I noticed that my skin tingled nervously and somehow, I had the impression that something bad was going to happen. I didn't know what was going to happen but I knew that I wouldn't like it.

Suddenly, I heard the silent noise of someone landing on the ground. I turned around, my eyes widened when I saw that a demon, who looked exactly like the statue, was standing a few feet away from me. He was about ten feet tall and regarded me with a wide grin on his ugly lips.

"Who are you and what are you doing here demon?" I asked through gritted teeth and raised my wand and Frostmourne.

He laughed and regarded me for a short moment before he responded "You never met me because you refused to follow Arthas into Stratholme. If only you would have tried harder to save your precious prince". He laughed amused as he noticed through the expression on my face that I had realized who he was.

"Mal'Ganis" I hissed and pointed Frostmourne's tip in his direction. "How is that possible that you are still alive. I thought that Arthas beat the shit out of you" I hissed provocatively, chuckling when I saw that my provocation had worked. He looked very angry for a short moment but suddenly all his anger faded and was replaced by a wide and provocative grin.

"You should know better than anyone else that you cannot truly kill a demon. We return sooner or later out of the Twisting Nether. Here I am, over a decade had passed since your bastard of a lover has slain me, and want my vengeance"

"It's suicide to attack Arthas in Icecrown. He defeated you once and he can do it again" I hissed and prepared a spell.

"Arthas only beat me because of Frostmourne. Also, I hadn't expected his attack but this time I'm prepared and much stronger than before" he told and came closer lifting one of his massive claws.

"I won't allow that you come even close to Arthas" I shouted and flung a fireball at him. He dodged the spell, causing that it collided with the wall behind him.

"I'm not here for him. I'm here because my master needs you for his plans"

Mal'Ganis gave me a wide smirk and leaped forward before I was able to say or do something. He hit me with one of his hands, sending me to the ground. He landed right in front of me, putting his foot on my upper body so that I was not able to get up. Waves of pain rushed through my body as I tried to get up but he kept pinning me down. I tried to grab Frostmourne or my wand which laid a few inches out of my reach. I tried to pull them with a spell to me but the dreadlord kicked them away.

He removed his feet and picked me up, lifting me in the air as if I was light as a feather. He enclosed his fingers around my hip and my throat, preventing that I could speak out a spell. He gave me a wide grin and opened his mouth. A long purple tongue came out and licked over my left cheek. Shivers ran over my spine, pain spread out in my body and I had the strong feeling that I had to vomit - if I could still do that- when this disgusting, sticky tongue caressed my skin.

I tried to scream, tried to ask for help but no sound came out of my mouth. I tried to fight the demon, tried to cast a spell and bore ice splinters in his eyes but I was not strong enough because my strength was slowly leaving me. I noticed that I became weaker and weaker and my vision became fuzzy. My vision went black after a few minutes so that I was only able to hear his quiet breaths and his chuckles.

I passed out eventually.

* * *

"Jaina, are you here? Jaina please answer and tell me where you are" I shouted through the hall, looking around if I could see her there. Unfortunately, I didn't saw her nor did I sense her aura.

Where was she?

I was worried about her.

_What if she is going to do something stupid which she would regret later? What if she lets out her anger on someone else who has done nothing to her? I have to find her. Especially because I have to calm her down._

She had clearly overreacted. I had never seen her act like this. She had never acted like the jealous girlfriend. Even in life, she had ignored other women who had tried to worm their ways in my bed. She had never expressed her jealousy in life, instead, she had reminded me who I would miss and never see again if I would choose another woman.

Jaina had acted very strangely, there was no way to deny that. The question, I was asking myself, was: Why did she behave like this? Did she found out something which had made her angry? Did she have just a bad day? Or her period? Oh, wait... She was not alive anymore. Never mind.

I came to the conclusion that I had no idea what happened to her. I only knew that I had to find her and calm her down. I didn't want that Jaina was sad and would cry. I wanted to comfort her but I had to find her first.

I followed the long corridor, ordering every servant I met to look for Jaina. In the end, half inhabitants of the citadel were looking for Jaina but no one found her. A few guards told me that they had seen Jaina in the near of a huge door which was decorated with skulls. I went to that door and entered the room. The room was empty so I started to walk to a teleporting platform which could bring me to the Frozen Throne.

I walked through the corridor from which I knew that it would lead me to one of the many platforms. Suddenly, the blonde servant stepped out of a door on the left side of the corridor. She was holding the hand of the little boy who had called me daddy. I stopped as soon as I saw him and regarded him curiously. He looked up at me with a small smile on his lips.

He let go of the servant and ran to me, raising his hands as if he was trying to reach me. I bent down so that my head was on the same height as his. He stepped closer to me and hugged me. "I've missed you daddy" he whispered quietly and closed his eyes as he leaned closer against me.

I looked up at the servant, not knowing what to say or how to react. She chuckled when she saw the expression on my face. I assumed that I made a confused expression. I put my arm around the boy's back and lifted him up when I stood up.

"Is he really my son?" I asked quietly. I received a small nod from the woman. I looked at the brave boy in my arms who didn't seem to be afraid of being close to an undead creature like me. Maybe because I was his father or because he had gotten used to this place. I couldn't know that.

"Who is his mother?" I asked. This was the question which interested the most. I only had a few lovers beside Jaina and I couldn't remember a time where I hadn't prevented conception. Oh, wait... There was this one time during a festival three years after my break up with Jaina. I meet a charming woman there and was too drunk to resist her. I ended up in bed with this woman and her sister.

"Her surname was Wildflower" the servant spoke.

"Wildflower? Like Selania Wildflower who has renamed herself in Wildreaper after her reanimation?"

"Yes, but it was not Selania who became pregnant with this wonderful boy"

"Her sister?" I asked and looked at the boy and then at the blonde woman.

"Yes, it was me who got pregnant during that night" she responded quietly and gave me a shy look. My eyes widened as soon as my brain realized what she had just said. Somehow, I wasn't able to think clearly at this very moment. Somehow, I felt a heavy pressure on my shoulders but suddenly the pressure was lifted when the woman gave me a small smile and the boy hugged me much tighter.

"So, you are Vanessa Wildflower, right?"

"Yes, I am" she responded and stepped closer to me.

"And we had a night together years ago?"

"Yeah, almost eleven years ago"

"So, he is ten years old"

"Yes, he is"

"He looks a lot younger" I commented and regarded the boy who looked like seven. 

"I know. I can't explain why"

"I think I remember that night. It was in Stormwind City, right?"

" Yes, we met on the celebration for Prince Anduin's third birthday. My sister was with us but on that day. It was the best night of my life. Especially because I became pregnant with this beautiful creature" she responded and ran her fingers through my son's hair.

It was hard to believe that he was my son but he wouldn't be here and still alive if he wouldn't be my son. There weren't many living creatures in Icecrown Citadel. The Lich King had brought him in the citadel for a reason and had made sure that he was not harmed by any of these undead creatures. There was no other logical explanation that he was still alive.

I regarded him once again, noticing that he really looked similar to me and to Vanessa. "What is his name?"

"Marcus"

_Marcus? He has the same name as Calia's first love_

"That's a wonderful name" I said and ran my fingers carefully through Marcus' hair. He giggled and rested his hands on my cheeks, stroking them carefully. He laughed and looked at me, not being afraid by my pale and cold face. He didn't shiver and he didn't seem to be cold even though I was hugging him. I looked back at his mother, noticing the happy look on her face.

She came closer and put her arms around her son and around me as well. One of her hands held the back of my head and played with my hair. She caressed my cheeks for a short moment, giving me a shy smile. I could say something, tell her that she should stop. I could tell her that this was inappropriate because I was in a relationship with Jaina. But I didn't for some reason, I couldn't explain to myself.

I was still hoping that my relationship with Jaina still existed. She had been so angry and hurt... I don't believe that she would break up with me after an unnecessary argument. On the other hand, she had broken out in tears and rushed out of the room. The last time she ran away from me ended in a disaster so I was hoping she would return soon. I didn't know how our next meeting would look like. I only knew that I had to find her.

"I really love to spend more time with you two and get known to you two but I have to find Jaina. I will meet you as soon as possible and then we will talk about everything" I spoke and pulled away from Vanessa giving her our son. I still hadn't gotten used to consider him as my son, or our son in this case, but I knew that I had to get used to it.

She took Marcus and wrapped her arms around him, holding him carefully. "It's okay" she responded and gave me an understanding look.

Marcus looked at me, it was clearly visible in his face, especially in his eyes, that he already missed me. He stretched out his hand as if he wanted to touch me. I came closer, allowing him to touch me one more time. I caressed his head carefully and gave him and his mother a smile. Vanessa leaned in and pressed a quick kiss on my cheek. She pulled away and gave me a small smile before she turned around and walked away.

She looked back for a short moment and said "See you soon, Arthas" before she disappeared behind the corner. I could have mistaken but I had gotten the impression that she still wanted something from me. I couldn't tell if she wanted me as Marcus' second parent or if she wanted me as her possible lover.

She knew that Jaina was very angry at me. Of course, I would never replace Jaina with her but I was still curious about what feelings she might have for me.

But her feelings didn't matter at this moment because I had to find Jaina. I rushed through the corridor, asking the ones I had sent out to look for Jaina if they had found her. Unfortunately, none of them had seen her. The servants had searched through the entire citadel, even in those hiding places which were barely reachable. But none of them had found the smallest hint about Jaina's whereabouts.

I went to one of the teleporting platforms and arrived on top of the citadel. I came out in the middle of the icy platform and walked to the icy staircase which led to the Frozen Throne. I climbed the staircase and stopped in front of the throne, regarding it with a thoughtful face.

I knew that the Lich King had been able to see almost everything which had happened in Northrend when he had been sitting on that throne. I didn't know if I could do that as well nor did I know if Jaina was still in Northrend. The chances were higher that she went to Stormwind or to Rhonin's temple because she could be looking for comfort by Vereesa and Vissia.

I wanted to sit down on the throne and look if I could find Jaina in Northrend but I was too afraid. I was not afraid that Jaina could have already left Northrend. I was afraid that the Lich King would try to corrupt me again. I had banished him out of my head. Jaina had cleansed Frostmourne and the Helm of Domination was destroyed as well but that didn't mean that the Lich King was gone forever. His last remains of strength could be saved in the Frozen Throne and could be waiting to take over me as soon as I would take a seat on this throne.

I decided against taking this risk and rushed to the teleporting platform. I arrived on the second highest floor and looked for a mage. I found one and demanded him to make me a portal to the Eastern Kingdoms, in the near of Stormwind City. He did that without hesitation. I thanked him and walked through the portal.

* * *

_Jaina's POV_

I opened my eyes, looking around in panic when I noticed that I was only able to move my head and nothing else. My arms and legs were tied to whatever I was lying on. It was too dark to see much. I heard quiet noises behind me but I was not able to turn my head so I couldn't look in the direction from which the noises came from. I heard quiet footsteps coming from behind me. I wanted to say something, wanted to scream for help and get the attention of someone who could rescue me. But the gag in my mouth prevented that any recognizable sound came out of my mouth.

Whoever was walking suddenly stopped. I felt soft hands which were caressing my cheek.

_Who is this? Is it Mal'Ganis? What does he want from me? Where am I? Why I am here? Where is Arthas? Is he alright? Is there a way for me to escape?_

Numerous questions were in my mind but I wasn't able to find an answer to any of these. Suddenly, the room was enlightened so that I was able to recognize my surroundings. I was tied on a large table in a room which looked like a laboratory. There were numerous tables around me on which stood lots of test tubes filled with different liquids.

Next to the table, I was lying on, was another table on which a body was lying. The body was covered by a white blanket so that I was not able to recognize who or what was lying there.

My eyes widened when I saw the face of a person who was standing right behind my head and was looking down at me with a wide grin on her lips. It was a female dreadlord with fel-green coloured skin and green piercing eyes - similar to the ones Mal'Ganis had. She looked beautiful - for a demon at least. I had always thought that dreadlords were male because I had never seen a female one. Looks like I had been mistaken.

The dreadlord put her hands next to my head and leaned over me, regarding me with interest. It was hard to not look at her well-formed chest out of this angle but that didn't matter for me. First of all, because I was not interested in women, especially not in demons. This was definitely not the right moment to ogle someone.

Still, the demon continued to lean over me like this as if she wanted that I stare at her voluminous breasts. I turned my head a little so that I didn't need to look at her anymore.

The demon chuckled and caressed my cheek with the back of her hand. Normally, a shiver would have run down my spine when such a miserable creature would touch me. But somehow, my body didn't send an alarming signal. The dreadlord moved my head a little so that I was forced to look at her, this time at her face.

She regarded me with a small smile on her lips. Her green tongue came out of her mouth and wettened her dry lips. I wanted to say something. Wanted to ask her who she was and why I was here. I wanted to ask her so many questions but no sound was produced by my throat. Not to mention that the gag prevented that any recognizable sound came out my dry throat.

My dry throat?

My throat hadn't been dry since I died. Nor had my heart been beating since my death.

Wait...

My heart was beating. Very fast. But how?

How could it beat? I was dead, right? How was that possible?

Or was this some sort of a weird dream?

"No, this is not a dream" the soft voice of the dreadlord spoke.

_Did she...?_

"Yes, I can read your mind, my dear" she said quietly and caressed my cheek with her hand. "Don't worry you will get answers to all of your questions as soon as we are done here"

_What does she mean?_

The dreadlord chuckled and walked to the other table. She looked at me for a short moment before she removed the blanket. My eyes widened when I saw that a body, which looked exactly like mine, was laying there.

The dreadlord chuckled, probably because she had read my mind once again.

"This is not a copy of your body, Miss Proudmoore. This is YOUR body. You are asking yourself how is that possible, right? The answer is that I made you a little present. A stronger, much better body. I've transferred your soul into this new body. You don't believe me? Fine, I will show you" she said and snapped with her fingers.

Suddenly I was free from any bondage. I found myself standing in front of a mirror. My eyes widened and my jaw dropped when I saw myself in the mirror.

I was looking totally different.

I wasn't looking like an undead creature anymore.

I wasn't looking like a humanoid creature at all.

I was looking like a demon.

Like a female dreadlord.

I regarded myself, my fel-green eyes were still widened in shock. I had pale grey skin which was partly covered by purple armour. Massive purple wings came out of my back. I had hooves, like all dreadlords, and very sharp and long purple coloured fingernails. My gaze shifted from my exposed muscular stomach to my oversized breasts - which were covered by my upper body armour- to my face.

The most significant thing I noticed where the large, bent fel-green horns which came out of my forehead. I had very long ears, which were almost as long as elven ears. My hair was black and reached to my shoulders. My lips had a dark purple colour and were full. All in all, my face looked very beautiful.

"What did you do..." were the only words which came out of my mouth.

"I upgraded your body because you need to be stronger. You need to be stronger to serve the Legion" she said and appeared behind me. She put her one hand on my shoulder, the other caressed my left cheek.

"I will never serve the Legion, not after all it has done to Arthas, Lordaeron and Azeroth in general" I hissed. I wanted to turn around and slap her in the face but the grip on my shoulder was too strong so that I wasn't able to move. She turned me around eventually and put a hand under my chin. She lifted my chin, forcing me to look in her glowing eyes.

Suddenly, I felt that all the pressure was taken off me. I tried to look away but I couldn't turn my head nor was I able to close my eyes. These fel-green glowing eyes caused that all my thoughts left my mind, all the worry and angst disappeared. I felt free. I tried to remember why I had been so afraid. I tried to remember who I was and who was important to me. I tried to remember for whose freedom I had fought over the past years but I couldn't remember anything.

I only knew two things. I was a servant of the Burning Legion and I would do everything the female dreadlord would demand from me.


	33. Purpose

"Where are we going?" I asked while looking at the demon in front of me who was guiding me through a long corridor. She turned her head a little and looked at me. She gave me a small smile but didn't say anything. Instead, she kept walking. I followed her and we walked for a while until we came to another room. My eyes needed a few moments to get used to the dark.

This body still felt very strange. I had tried to remember how it had felt to be in my previous body but somehow, I wasn't remembering anything. I didn't remember anymore how my previous body looked like nor did I remember anything about my previous life. I only knew that I was a dreadlord and belonged to Lady Rissya.

It was not easy to keep balance in this body. I only had a problem with the massive wings which came out of my back. It was a real challenge to walk with them without falling to one side. At least I had found out that I was able to draw them in which made walking a lot easier. Having hooves instead of feet didn't make it easier but I knew I would get used to it.

There were several other things I had to get used to as well. Like breathing, having a beating heart or that my skin was very warm instead of cold as ice. But I was pretty sure that I will accept these changes sooner or later.

One of the many advantages as a dreadlord was that I was able to see almost everything in the dark. Even though darkness surrounded us, I was able to see the massive throne in front of us.

A demon which was three times taller than Lady Rissya sat on it. He had huge red horns which were a lot larger than his head. The colour of his skin was as red as the blood of most living creatures on Azeroth. Green glowing symbols were tattooed on his skin. His upper body wasn't covered by any piece of armour, meaning that only his thick skin protected him. There was a green glowing tattoo under his right eye which glowed in the same colour. His left eye, on the other hand, was glowing purple.

His lower body was covered by massive armour which was strengthened by various runes. These runes were glowing in many different colours. He had drawn in his wings which allowed him to sit upright and comfortably on his throne. His head rested on his left fist as he regarded us with interest.

Next to him stood Mal'Ganis and regarded us with an impassive look on his face. He bowed to Lady Rissya as soon as she came close to him. Lady Rissya chuckled and signalized Mal'Ganis to stand up. The demon didn't hesitate and stood up, still regarding us with his sinister green glowing green eyes.

Lady Rissya guided me to the throne and bowed down in front of it. I didn't hesitate and did the same. I didn't know why I did this but somehow, I was feeling that it was the right thing to do in this situation. I waited patiently and stood up when Lady Rissya did it.

"May I introduce you to my master Thel'zaron. From now he is your master as well" she said and pointed at the demon on the throne. "Lord Thel'zaron, this is Lady Jaina Proudmoore. I have made her to one of us as you have wished. She has no memories of her previous life and will do everything we demand from her"

"I hope that's right" responded Thel'zaron. His voice was very deep and rough. It even sounded a bit fearsome but I didn't get intimidated by it, nor by his angry-looking eyes.

"She will prove her worth, I promise. Give her a task and she will fulfil it" spoke Rissya and gave her master a smile before she looked at me.

"I believe that she will be loyal to us. Just tell her about your plan and give her enough tasks"

"As you wish, master" she responded and lowered her head in respect.

"Will you work for me without doubting my decisions?" he asked and tilted his head while looking at me.

"Yes, I will" I responded and lowered my head in respect. I didn't know why I had agreed without thinking about it twice. I could have protested, could have refused to serve him. But somehow, I saw no reason to disobey him even though I was not afraid of him. I just accepted that he was my new master.

"And Rissya"

"Yes, my master?"

"Give her the wand I have made for her. She will need it to control the Scourge and use them for our plans. Don't forget to tell her our plans for Arthas Menethil when she returns"

"I will do everything you want from me" she said and smiled at him. I noticed by the look in her eyes and the way she behaved that was deeply in love with this demon. I couldn't tell if she was attracted by his power or by himself. I knew that demons were very attracted by power, so both options were possible.

Maybe she was attracted by himself and his power. I couldn't know that and I didn't care at all. I was happy, as long as I was able to prove my worth to him. I wanted to make Lady Rissya proud of me. I didn't know the reason for my desire to get her attention and make her proud. I only knew that I would do anything she would demand from me.

"Good" he said quietly and made a dismissive gesture, signalizing us to leave. We bowed once again and left the room as soon as possible. I followed Lady Rissya without saying anything.

We walked for a while, arriving in a room which contained the most beautiful and most expensive pieces of furniture I had seen in my life. The walls were coloured in green, the floor was covered by a bilious green carpet. On the ceiling hang a massive chandelier which was decorated with beautiful green gems. It was unmistakable that the Lady's favourite colour was green.

Lady Rissya walked to a chest. She bent down to open it and pull an item out of it. She walked back to me and gave me the item. It was a wand which was bursting with fel energy. Its tip was a green glowing elongated crystal around which longish golden material was wrapped -Like a snake which wanted to strangle its victim.

I felt the massive amount of power which was radiated by it - the massive amount of fel energy which was nearly longing after me.

The wand almost screamed for me. It wanted to be used by me. Wanted to be used against the opponents of the Burning Legion which included the Alliance and the Horde.

Even if I didn't want to touch it, I still touched it because my body had its own mind. I touched the wand with my left hand. A massive amount of power rushed through my body, causing that my heart beat faster. It beat so fast that I feared that it would explode the next moment.

I put my other hand on the wand, carefully taking it from her as if I was holding a child. The massive amount of power, which rushed through my body, gave me the feeling that I was invincible. That no one would be able to stop me. I knew that this wand will make me very powerful so I couldn't wait to test it against a few miserable creatures.

"This wand is so awesome. I can feel the fel rushing through my body and making me stronger. Thank you, mistress" I shouted out and looked up at her, making a happy face. She returned my smile as she put her hand under my chin and caressed it.

"You don't need to thank me, my child" she spoke, her beautiful green eyes stared into mine as she continued to stare at me with this cheeky wide grin on her lips. "You will need it for crushing our enemies"

"Who will that be? Who should I crush for you, mistress?" I asked curiously. I knew that I couldn't deny her any request. So, the person whose name she will give me will die by my hands.

"The living who are resisting us since tens of thousands of years. The Alliance is a thorn in our side but the Horde is annoying too. We have to get rid of them if we want to rule over Azeroth" she explained, stepping away from me. She walked to a table and took a jug, pouring a green liquid into two glasses. She returned, handing one glass to me. I thanked her and brought the edge of the glass to my lips.

I closed my eyes and inhaled the lovely aroma of this liquid, not caring what it was. It could be poison or another liquid which would harm me but I drank it anyway because I trusted my mistress. I trusted her with my life and I would do everything to make her happy.

The liquid's taste was very delicious but bitter as well. It tasted after woodruff with a few drops of strawberry. I didn't know what this mixture was but I couldn't stop from emptying one glass after the other as if I hadn't drunk anything for years.

I stopped after I had emptied the fifth glass, feeling a bit dizzy. The feeling disappeared after a few minutes and was replaced by a strong feeling of confidence. I felt like I could destroy mountains with my bare fists. Whatever this liquid was, it made me feel stronger and caused that I wanted to have more of it. Basically, it worked like a drug.

I walked to the table, stretching my hand out after another jug filled with this delicious liquid. But Lady Rissya stepped in front of it and prevented that I could reach it. She chuckled when she noticed my raised eyebrow.

"You had enough, little one. You have to work first if you want to have more of this"

"What do I have to do? Tell me and I will do the job" I responded.

She laughed. "I really like your motivation. Alright, let's start with something small before we go for the big plan"

"The big plan?" I asked curiously.

"I will tell you later about it. First, I want you to travel to Icecrown Citadel. You will disguise yourself and gain control over every single creature in the citadel. I have transferred Frostmourne's power to your new wand so you should have no problem controlling the Scourge" she told.

"Do I have to bear something in my mind?"

"Yes, there are a few persons you have known in the past. You have to interact with them as you have done before your transformation"

"I can't remember having friends"

"I know that's why you will drink this" she responded and handed me a little flask with a black liquid in it.

"What is this?" I asked, eyeing the liquid suspiciously.

"This helps you interact with the people around you. I have extracted your memories to make it. Don't worry, you will feel strange at first but the more time passes the better you will get used to it. This liquid makes sure that you behave as you have done before your glorious transformation"

I looked at Lady Rissya, noticing the convincing smile on her green lips. I nodded to her and removed the little cork. I brought the flask to my lips and swallowed the content with one gulp. I felt dizzy at first but then my mind became a lot clearer. I remembered the persons who had been once important to me. I remembered their betrayal and the horrible things they had done. I knew that they will pay for having resisted the Burning Legion for too long. I knew that I will do everything Lady Rissya wanted from me, even if I had to kill those who once had meant everything for me.

"About the big plan" I started but didn't speak any further. Instead, I looked at her and gave her a curious and expecting look.

"You already know that we want to get rid of the Alliance and the Horde. We will use the Scourge, as soon as they are under our control, to attack the Horde. The Horde will think that the Alliance has allied themselves with the Scourge so they will attack back. We will take advantage and attack them when they least expect it" she explained and took a seat on one of the many fel-green armchairs.

She pointed at the armchair opposite to hers. I didn't hesitate and walked over, sitting down on the comfortable armchair. I leaned back and put my arms on the armrests.

"You will seduce Arthas Menethil and convince him to join the Burning Legion" she said eventually.

"You won't harm him for having betrayed the Legion, right? I only do this if you can guarantee that you will spare him" I spoke demandingly. I didn't know why I had said that. Somehow, this man was important to me. I didn't remember a lot about him nor did I really know how my relationship with him had looked like.

Was he a random companion? A friend? A close friend? Or more than that? I couldn't tell. I just knew that I didn't want him to get hurt for whatever reason. The memories which had flooded my mind when I had drunk that liquid told me that I had been really close to him before my transformation. I just remembered a few memories where we had locked lips or held hands. I tried to remember harder, remember more but I wasn't able to do that. There was a yawning emptiness in my memory as if someone had removed strings of memories.

I knew that I had been close to this man but I didn't feel anything for him, at least not when I remembered the remaining memories. He must feel something for me so the best way to convince him to join the Legion was to seduce him. I had to take advantage of my charm and my curves which would mess up the mind of any man and woman.

I stood up and walked to the nearest mirror, regarding my beautiful form through it. I caressed my soft cheeks, brushed over my full lips and touched my cute nose. I noticed that my horns were very stable when I touched them. I knew that I could do serious damage with them but I didn't need them because I had my wand and all the spells I had learned.

I ran my hands over the chest plate which covered my breasts, wondering how touching them would feel like. My hands wandered to my exposed muscular stomach, caressing the soft skin there. Then I put my hands on my upper thighs and rubbed them softly. I touched my wings and at last my very long ears. I noticed that they twitched whenever I touched them, also causing that little excitement built up in me. I stopped touching them eventually and regarded myself once again.

I made a step backwards and closed my eyes. Because of the black liquid I had drunk, I knew how I had looked like before my transformation. I started to mutter a few phrases in the demonic language. I didn't remember having learned that language but somehow, I was able to speak it.

I opened my eyes after a while, a satisfied smile appeared on my lips when I admired the result of my spell. I looked like my undead former self. Hair and skin were as blue as the sky. Chest and belly were partly exposed. I turned around, noticing a similar satisfied smile on Lady Rissya's lips.

I took the two wands, one of them was the wand my mistress had given me while the other was a replacement for the disguised Frostmourne. The spell had caused that the wand, Lady Rissya had given me, was now looking like the one I had gotten from the Lich King.

I walked back to Lady Rissya and said. "I won't disappoint you, mistress. I will make sure that Arthas Menethil and the Scourge will belong to the Legion once again"

"Good" she responded and gave me a pleased smile. I returned her smile and left the room when she dismissed me.

* * *

"Arthas! Arthas? Are you there?" the lovely voice of my sister sounded as she knocked at the door.

"Yes, I am. You can enter" I responded and pushed the heavy piece of furniture a little to the right side. I made a step backwards and regarded the king-sized bed in front of me. I turned my head when I heard that the door was opened and closed a moment later.

I smiled at my sister and regarded her, noticing that she was wearing a beautiful yellow dress. She didn't hesitate and came to me, pulling me in a tight hug. I rubbed her back and held her in my arms for a few moments before I pulled back and observed her from head to toe.

"That's a gorgeous dress" I complimented and gave her a smile.

"Thank you" she responded and looked at the bed next to me. "It seems that you are furnishing your room"

"Yes, I haven't been able to find Jaina so I thought I could make our room look good before she returns" I responded and offered her a seat on the only armchair in the room. She sat down and leaned back. I sat on the edge of the bed, which wasn't covered by any blankets or sheets, and looked at her. She put her hands on her lap and gave me an expecting look. As if she wanted to hear something from me.

"What?" I asked and raised an eyebrow.

"What happened between you and Jaina exactly? I've been told that Jaina was pretty mad at you and rushed out of Icecrown. So, what happened?" she asked curiously and gave me a sympathetic look.

I made a surprised face "You know about this?"

"The Alliance has spies everywhere. Even in Icecrown Citadel. One of Spymaster Shaw's men told me about this. So, what happened, dear brother? What did you do?"

"Why do you expect that it was my fault?"

"Well, if we consider the past, you were always the one who stopped your relationship. This may sound hard but you broke up with her during Winter's Veil and then you followed the path of vengeance and pushed her away before you could have rekindled your relationship years later" spoke Calia, giving me a worried look.

"Well... Fine... You are right but this time it wasn't my fault. At least I was not the only one who did mistakes which lead to the result that Jaina ran away.

"What did you do?" she asked and leaned forward, resting her chin on her palms.

"Well, I didn't tell her about the short-lived relationships I had with other women after Jaina and I broke up.

"You mean after you broke up with her"

"Yeah, whatever. She overreacted and was very angry that I hadn't told her about them. We had agreed that we wouldn't speak about the past so I didn't mention my exes. You should have seen her. She was so jealous... It was hard for me to believe that she was really my Jaina. Jaina has never been the jealous kind of a woman. But during that argument, she had behaved so differently, as if she was a totally new person. If only I knew why she had reacted this way" I spoke and rested my head in my hands, closing my eyes for a moment.

I opened them again eventually, noticing that Calia was having a thoughtful look on her face. I began to explain what I remembered what Jaina had said, how she had reacted and how I had responded to her outbursts.

Calia was silent for a few minutes, thinking about everything I had said. "Well, I can understand that she was angry but that doesn't justify her behaviour. Have you noticed that she acted strangely during the past weeks?

"No, I didn't notice anything. She hasn't acted strangely during the past months except for that day"

"Normally, I would blame the period or hormones for such behaviour but Jaina is undead, so she can't have periods nor can she get pregnant. To be honest, I have no clue why she has reacted like this. Maybe she has found out something... Maybe a secret... Or something else had made her really mad... I don't know"

"You mean that she was already angry about something and wasn't able to prevent that her anger took over her?"

"I don't know but this makes at bit sense at least. Even though I don't believe that Jaina would vent her anger on you. Especially because she had fought tooth and nails to get you back. It wouldn't make sense for her to push you away forever. I think she will return. Sooner or later at least"

"Hopefully. I'm really missing her"

"I can understand you" she said and put her hand on my left thigh, rubbing it softly. She got up and looked around, checking every spot in the pretty empty room. "It seems that you have a lot of work to do" she commented.

"I have started an hour ago and I'm planning on bringing the same pieces of furniture in the room and put them on the same spots so that the room will look exactly like it had looked before the attack"

"I can help you if you want" she offered.

"I appreciate this but I can handle this alone"

"Ah, c'mon, Arthas. Let me help you"

"Yes, Arthas. Let her help you. She wants to be a part of your life after she hasn't seen you for more than a decade" a familiar voice spoke. I turned around, my eyes widened in surprise when I saw Jaina standing in the door frame. She leaned against the door, arms crossed in front of her chest. She was having a cheeky grin on her lips for a short moment but then her facial expression changed from cheeky to happy.

She approached me and didn't hesitate to wrap her arms around me. She pulled me in a tight hug and rested her head on my shoulder before I was able to realize that she had moved.

"Jaina" I whispered eventually and looked down at her, checking if she was real or if I was only imagining her. I noticed that she was real when she stood on her tiptoes, pulled my head down a little and pressed a soft and passionate kiss on my lips. I kissed her back without hesitation, allowing her to insert her tongue in my mouth.

We held the kiss for a few moments. I was the one who pulled away first because I had the feeling that something was not right. I hadn't expected that Jaina would come back to me after a week. I hadn't expected either that she would jump in my arms and kiss me. I had expected that we would have a long talk when she returns. I had expected everything. But not this.

I looked at her, noticing the raised eyebrow and the questionable look on her face. "Is something wrong, honey?"

"Well, I thought that you would be still mad at me. I thought that we would have a long talk before we kiss and behave like a couple again" I responded and raised an eyebrow as well.

"Well, I have realized during the week, where I have spent a lot of time alone, that I might have overreacted a bit"

"Might? Overreacted A BIT?"

"Okay, I have overreacted and have said things I shouldn't have said" she said quietly and wrapped her arms around my upper body, stepping closer to me.

"Like I was responsible for your fate?" I asked and raised an eyebrow. I wanted to know so badly what she had meant with this. I had racked my brain over it during the past days. I had tried to figure out what she had meant with this.

I was fearing that the Lich King had killed her and raised her. I knew I would never forgive myself for that if that would be true. Ner'zhul had controlled me and forced me to do horrible things. That didn't mean that I was not responsible for everything. I was the one who followed the path of vengeance. I was the one who went to Northrend and picked up Frostmourne. I was also responsible for everything. I would never forgive myself if I was the one who killed Jaina and raised her.

NEVER EVER.

I didn't deserve to live if I had been responsible for her death.

"Yeah, especially this. I had no right to say it especially because it's not true" she responded and stared into my eyes. I stared back, trying to find out if she was lying or not. She seemed to be honest, at least neither her eyes nor the rest of her face were indicating that she was lying.

"So, why haven't you said it when it is not right?"

"I don't know. I was so angry at this very moment... I'm sorry, Arthas. I don't know what overcame me on that day. Would you forgive me?" she asked, making a pleading face.

I looked at her, noticing that I was not able to resist these beautiful blue eyes which were asking for forgiveness. I knew that I couldn't resist her for too long so I accepted her apology, happy that I was not the one who had to apologize. We stared in each other's eyes, exchanging a kiss or two before we pulled back and looked at Calia who was regarding us with a happy smile on her lips.

Jaina wrapped her right arm around my hip, rubbing my back softly. She turned her head to regard the room.

"I'm glad that you are rebuilding our room. But there is a faster way to furnish it. Let me help, you honey" she said and pulled back from me. She lifted her hands which started to glow bluish when she began to mutter a few phrases. Pieces of furniture appeared out of nowhere and were placed on the exact spots where they had stood before the attack. All in all, Jaina did the work, which would have taken hours for me, within ten minutes.

"Impressive" Calia and I commented at the same time.

"This was one of my easiest task" responded Jaina and walked back to me, wrapping her arm around me.

"You have saved me a lot of time, Jaina. I would have needed at least half of the day to decorate the room. I'm pretty sure it wouldn't have looked even close as good as this" I said and caressed her cheek, staring into her beautiful eyes.

"This means that we have more time we can spend otherwise"

I laughed. "I guess I owe you a favour"

She laughed as well "Yes, you do" she responded and smacked my ass. I noticed, when looking at Calia, that her face was red as mine. Jaina chuckled and dragged me to the door, signalizing Calia to follow us. "Come one, Calia. Let's go to the garden and regard the various beautiful flowers there". Calia nodded and didn't hesitate to follow us out of the room.

We arrived in the middle of the flower garden eventually. We looked for a place where no one would bother us and sat down on the chairs Jaina had crafted with her magic. She conjured a plate with food and a few jugs filled with different drinks and put it on the table she had created as well. Calia thanked her and took a few sweets and put it on a smaller plate. She took one of the jugs of tea and filled a cup with the sweet-smelling orange liquid. She gave us a smile before she brought the cup to her lips and took a sip.

"I'm glad that you are back, Jaina" Calia spoke after she had emptied half of her cup.

"I'm glad too. I'm happy to see you and Arthas. You know we have to make up for a lot. We haven't seen each other for over fifteen years" Jaina responded and returned Calia's smile. She put one of her hands over mine and intertwined our fingers. She caressed the back of my hand while she came closer and closer until she sat in my lap.

Her back leaned against my upper body. Her head rested on my chest. I wrapped my arm around her, resting my hand on her flat belly, caressing the exposed skin softly. She giggled quietly and leaned closer against me.

I was wearing a golden tunic instead of my golden armour so she was feeling comfortable as well. Even though there was fabric between our skins, I still felt the cold of her skin. I could be wrong but I had the impression that her body was a bit warmer than it used to be. It was not as cold as I remembered. Maybe it was just imagination.

I caressed the cheeks of the woman in my lap, looking down at her and noticing that her eyes were closed when she was enjoying my gentle touch. I shifted my gaze to Calia who was regarding us with a happy smile on her lips while she was sipping on her tea.

My eyes widened and my skin started to tingle when I noticed that Jaina was moving her ass a little and was pressing it against a certain part of my body. I turned my head a little so that Calia wasn't able to look directly in my face and couldn't notice the change of my expression. I was glad that I couldn't blush because I was undead. It would have been a lot harder to hide what Jaina was doing if my cheeks would have become red.

I didn't know why Jaina was doing this while we were sitting at the table with my sister. I didn't know either if I should like it or hate it. Maybe she found it exciting to do such teasing in public. Maybe she was doing it because of the additional kick it was giving her. I couldn't deny that I wasn't enjoying it. But this was not the right place and the right moment for it.

I put my hands on her hips, trying to move her away so that her rear wouldn't be pressed against the area between my legs anymore but she resisted and tensed her body so that I wasn't able to move her at all. She was stronger than she looked like. It was impossible for me to move her without making Calia suspicious so I kept staring at the beautiful roses to avoid Calia's gaze. I noticed out of the corner of my eyes that she was still regarding us with a smile on her lips.

I noticed that Jaina moved her hands behind her back as if she was trying to hide something. But she wasn't hiding anything, instead, she sneaked her hands beneath my tunic and began to trail her fingertips over my muscular abs. An excited shiver ran over my spine whenever a finger moved closer to the waistband of my leggings. I didn't know how long I could take it, how long I could behave normally. Calia will notice something eventually and I didn't want to disgrace myself in front of my long-lost sister.

Jaina was acting so weird since her return. First the quick reconciliation and then her sexual teasing. I understand that she had missed me but I had thought that Jaina would hold out more than just one week without sex. I knew she had managed to survive a decade without sex. So why was she such a tease today? If only I knew the answer.

"Is something wrong with you, Arthas?" Calia asked and regarded me curiously.

"What? No. I'm fine" I responded, trying to hide my nervousness as best as I could.

"Are you sure? You have been looking at the same plant over the past ten minutes"

_She really thinks that I am the one who acts strange... If only she would know what Jaina is doing to me - With me - Whatever. At least she doesn't notice what Jaina is doing to me for whatever reason._

"It's a very beautiful plant" I responded and turned my head, looking at her. I was biting my bottom lip to prevent that any sound would slip out of my mouth. Unfortunately, Jaina's teasing was very effective which resulted that more blood flowed through a certain part of my body. At least Jaina was sitting right in front of it so that Calia wasn't noticing anything. She was still looking at us with a naturally bright smile on her lips.

I knew I couldn't take it any longer. I knew that this would end in a catastrophe if Jaina kept behaving like this. But I couldn't do anything without hurting Jaina or making Calia suspicious. Maybe I was able to find an excuse to stand up and walk in the keep.

"Do you need something, dear sister? The sun is shining brightly. You should use sun cream or your soft skin might get burned.

"Thanks for your caring Arthas but I'm a priestess of the light. The sun doesn't hurt me. I have never used sun cream after I became a priestess"

_Damnit, I have forgotten about this. I need to find a better excuse_

"Alright, I just wanted to make sure that you are okay"

"I'm okay, little brother. Thanks for the request" she responded and gave me a smile. She emptied her glass and refilled it. "Maybe you can ask some of the horticulturists if I can get one of these beautiful golden roses and one of the white ones as well. I really like their looks and smells"

"Of course, I will do that. Shall I go now?" I asked. I smiled when I received a nod. Calia really saved me from disgracing myself. I ran my hand over Jaina's stomach, tingling her left hip softly, signalizing her to get up. She hesitated for a moment but stood up eventually. I stood up as well, holding the book I had taken with me in front of my hip and the area between my legs.

"I will accompany you" announced Jaina. I looked at her, noticing the teasing grin on her lips.

What was going on with her? She had never behaved like this. She had never been the cheeky girl who would do everything to get her will.

"You don't need to do that" I responded and stared in her beautiful eyes. I knew that I could get lost in them forever if I would stare into them for too long so I changed my focus and regarded the plants next to her.

"But I want too" she replied and linked arms with me.

"Don't you want to spend time with Calia? I thought you have to make up for a lot of things?"

"We can do that later. You would be away for only a few minutes. We wouldn't be able to do much during these few minutes, right Calia? "

"Yes, that's right. I want to talk with Jaina about so many topics but I would rather like to do it with her in private when we have more time. Besides, I have to go to the bathroom so this is the ideal opportunity for you to look for the horticulturists" responded Calia and got up as well.

"That's exactly what I wanted to hear" spoke Jaina and gave Calia a pleased smile. She turned around and regarded me, taking my hand. She began to walk towards one of the many paths, forcing me to go with her. I turned my head and looked at Calia who waved at us and walked along the path which led to the keep. Jaina and I walked for a few minutes. We saw a few horticulturists but Jaina guided me away from them. We stopped eventually in front of a big bush.

"We aren't speaking with the horticulturists, aren't we?" I asked.

"No, we are not" she said quietly and pushed me into the bush. I landed with the back on the ground, trying to get up but Jaina was faster and sat on my stomach, pinning me down. She was heavier than I remembered. Normally she was light as a feather but at this very moment, she was even heavier than me. Maybe she had used some sort of a spell to make herself heavier so that I couldn't get up. She muttered a few words to cast a spell.

I didn't need to ask to know that spell caused that nobody will be able to see or hear us.

"Jaina... You are acting so differently" I commented quietly.

The corners of her lips formed to a wide grin and her predatory eyes rested on me. "You may have noticed that I've changed over the years. I'm not the innocent girl anymore you used to know. Don't deny that you really like this side of me. I know it turns you and when I behave like this" she spoke and pointed at the stiff thing between my legs.

I didn't say anything in return, I just stared at her without commenting about the flirtatious look on her lovely face. She didn't say anything else. She just started to remove my clothes and regarded my nude body. She was licking her lips while she was ogling me.

She didn't hesitate to lower herself on me, riding me like a cowgirl. She knew exactly how to please me. She was more aggressive than usual, kissing me, biting my neck, leaving marks and ruining my hairstyle like a wild animal.

She was the active one while I was the one who lied on the ground and enjoyed it. She was completely dominating me. I kneaded her boobs from time to time and caressed her rear but other than that I didn't do much.

Our lovemaking lasted for nearly half an hour and ended with our climaxes which happened at the same time. She kept sitting on me after I came, regarding me with a satisfied smile on her lips.

"That was quite something" I commented and stared into her beautiful eyes. She returned the stare and rubbed my muscular chest with her hands. She stood up after a few minutes, handing my underwear, my tunic and my leggings to me. I put them on and watched Jaina getting dressed and fixing her hair. She cast a spell on me, causing that my hair looked normal again.

"We should go to your sister" she commented and intertwined our fingers.

I gave her a nod and stepped with her out of the bush.


	34. Succubus

"Ah, Jaina. There you are. I thought you would never return" said Calia and gave me a smile. She looked behind me, expecting that Arthas appear the next moment. She frowned when she realized that he wasn't with me. "Where is Arthas?"

"He has returned to the keep because he has to discuss something with someone. He didn't tell me with who he wants to talk but it seems to be urgent"

"Alright. This means that we can talk meanwhile" she smiled and offered me to sit down. I didn't hesitate and sat directly next to her, putting my arm around her shoulders.

"Finally, we can be alone, relax a little and talk"

"That would be nice" she responded and took a sip from her water.

"I have to speak with you about something" I responded and gave her a worried look.

"The Horde is a threat for mine and Arthas' lives. We have tried to make peace with them but we all know that Sylvanas would never accept peace. She will try to kill Arthas until she succeeds. I want to prevent that and I'm pretty sure that you want to prevent that too"

"Of course, I don't want that Arthas will be harmed by this crazy woman" she responded immediately.

"We have to strike first then"

"What do you mean?" she asked, eying me suspiciously with a raised eyebrow.

"We have to neutralize the Horde before Sylvanas manages to mobilize them against us. Or at least we have to neutralize Sylvanas"

"Are you serious about this?" she asked. The confused expression on her face was unmistakable.

"Yes, I am. I don't believe that there is another way to protect Arthas without ending Sylvanas' life. She will never forgive him, even if he would save her life. We have to make sure that she will never be able to threaten Arthas again" I responded, sounding very self-confident.

I knew that my task was to convince Arthas to join the Burning Legion and that not to create conflict between the Horde and the Alliance. But I was hoping that I would receive a special gift if I would manage to create conflict as well. Maybe the master would make me stronger if I manage to establish war between the Alliance and the Horde.

Manipulating Calia would be only the beginning. I knew that Varian had a huge crush on me and I knew that I would be able to manipulate him as well with my new powers. Then I have to sabotage Arthas' meeting with Thrall and make sure that the Horde will think that we betrayed them and don't want peace with them. The Horde will strike back and declare war on the Alliance. I will take Arthas to my mistress and make him to my servant. He would be pretty useful to satisfy me.

"I'm not sure if this is the right way to solve things" said Calia quietly and made a thoughtful face.

"Do you have a better idea?" I asked and put my hand under her chin. I lifted it and forced her to look in my eyes. I noticed that she wanted to look away and not directly in my eyes but my grip was too strong. I stared into her beautiful eyes, muttering a few words in the demonic language.

I leaned in and attached my lips to hers. Her soft and warm lips tasted and felt different than Arthas' cold ones. Different but not as bad as I had expected. Her eyes widened when the kiss continued to last, she tried hard to push me away or move her head but I was too strong for her. I put a hand on the back of her head to prevent that she could turn her head.

I parted her lips with my long purple tongue which I inserted in her mouth. Her breaths became faster, her heart beat rapidly as I continued to lock lips with her while I stared into her eyes. I noticed a change in her eyes after we had held the kiss for three minutes. Her pupils had widened, her eyes looked expressionlessly at me.

I smirked when I realized that my spell had worked. Calia had gotten under my control and would do everything I wanted from her. I knew that I didn't need her to convince Varian to do whatever I want from him. Still, I wanted Calia as my personal servant. She was my friend after all, so I will make sure that she will be on the victorious side.

I sat back on my chair, making sure that no one was watching us. I took Calia's glass of wine and brought the edge to my lips, slowing pouring the delicious liquid in my mouth. A quiet moan escaped my lips when the liquid flowed down my throat into my stomach. I emptied the glass slowly, placing it back in front of Calia who was regarding me with the same blank expression.

I knew that only I was able to see her like this. Others would think that she was behaving and looking normally. Only I knew the truth. I regarded Calia for a while with a wide smile on my lips, signalizing her to follow me eventually.

I got up and followed the path to the side entrance of the keep, knowing that Calia was right behind me. We rushed through the long corridor, ignoring the guards which were regarding us curiously. We came to Varian's office eventually, knocking at the door. Varian opened the door a few moments later.

"Hello, Jaina. Hello, Calia. It's nice to meet you. How can I help you?"

"We need to talk about something. Something very important"

Varian gave me a questionable look but stepped aside and allowed us to come in. "Er, sure sit down wherever you want" he said and closed the door behind us. We walked to the chairs in front of his desk and sat down.

"What is so important?" he asked and took a seat as well.

"I fear that Sylvanas will not stop trying to kill Arthas. I'm afraid that she will be successful one day" I began to speak, my voice trailed off and became weaker with each word I said. I explained Varian that I didn't believe that Arthas and I will find peace one day. I told him that Sylvanas will never stop hunting Arthas and me. I told him that I was very afraid and the thought about losing Arthas made me really sad. I initiated that a few tears ran over my cheeks to make it more realistic and increase the effect my play was having on Varian.

By the look on his face, I knew that he was believing me. The only question I was asking myself was: Would he declare war on the Horde or not? He didn't seem to be convinced by that I idea but he will eventually. I will make sure that he will do everything I want him to do. Varian had a crush on me and I will take advantage of that.

"I understand that you are afraid. I'm afraid as well, believe me. But our situation wouldn't get better if we declare war on the Horde. We have to find a better solution. The chance that Arthas gets hurt is higher if we go to war with the Horde. Sylvanas is already waiting for a war. We have to find a better solution. We have to find a way to deal with Sylvanas. Only with Sylvanas. Not with the entire Horde"

"There is no way we can deal with Sylvanas without dealing with the Horde as well" I said quietly and stared at my feet. "We have to eliminate her" I looked up again and started into his eyes.

"Are you serious?" he asked and looked incredulously at me. "You were the one who convinced us to not fight the Scourge. You are the one who has always tried to find a peaceful solution. And now you are choosing the violent way? You are acting so strange, Jaina"

"I'm not acting strange. It's true that I have always tried to find peaceful solutions but sometimes we can't follow the peaceful path. I don't want to risk Arthas' life by hoping that the peaceful way would work out for us"

"You know that the chance that Arthas is getting killed during a war is much higher than the chance that he gets assassinated again, right?" he asked, observing my face closely.

"Not if he stays in Stormwind City" responded Calia and regarded Varian with a face which reflected hope and worry.

"You know that Arthas wouldn't let others fight for him"

"Don't worry, I will convince him to stay with me" I responded and gave him a small smile.

"I'm not sure about this. Jaina..." he spoke but paused and made a thoughtful face. He was obviously thinking about what he should say next but Calia didn't give him the opportunity to figure out the right answer.

"Your majesty, we need to make the first move before the Sylvanas and the Horde act first"

"But..."

I cut him off and walked to him. "No buts, Varian". I put my hand on his shoulder, looking down at him with pleading eyes. He avoided my gaze by looking at his feet while he was nervously toying with a pen. I knew that I was close to convincing him, I only needed to make more pressure.

I put my hand under his chin, moving it so that he was forced to look at me. His eyes widened when he saw the wide grin on my lips. I brought my mouth to his ears, whispering in an erotic voice. "Varian, I need your help, please. If you won't do it for Arthas then do it for me"

I sat down on his lap, grinning widely when I saw the mix of shock and surprise in the king's face. I began to place kisses on his neck, casting one of the spells succubuses used to cast on their victims. I noticed that the spell worked slowly. Too slowly for my liking. The effect of the spell became stronger over time. But suddenly the charm stopped to become stronger and the effect vanished.

I didn't know why my charm had stopped working. I pulled my head back from Varian's neck and looked at him, noticing that he was clenching his fist around an amulet with a blue gem. I sensed that an aura was radiated by this amulet, meaning that it was a magical object. I was assuming that this object was protecting him from my spell. I didn't know why it was able to do that but I knew that I had to destroy it if I wanted that my mission will turn out to be successful.

I leaned to the left side and tried to grab Varian's hand but he managed to push me off his lap so that I fell on the ground. I looked up at him and noticed the furious look on his face. He stood up and pushed his chair back, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

I was very upset. Not only had he managed to protect himself against my charm, but he also hadn't listened to me and had dropped me like a hot potato. Nobody was allowed to treat me like this. Varian will witness what I was really capable of.

I stood up immediately and looked at him with an angry face. My fists were clenched, my fingernails dug deep in the palms of my hands so that it hurt a little. Varian was looking at me with widened eyes and a confused expression on his handsome face. He made a few steps backwards until he stood right in front of one of his shelves. He tried to look for something which could help him.

I realized that something in my face must have changed to cause that Varian was reacting like this. I didn't know what had changed but I assumed that my eyes had started to glow green. At least I was fleeing the massive amount of power which rushed through my body.

Varian rushed to the opposite wall and took the remaining half of the legendary sword Shalamayne from it. The sword hung there since Arthas had been freed from the Lich King's control. The reason for that was that Varian hadn't attended a battle since then.

He took the remaining half known as Ellemayne in his right hand and pointed its tip at me, signalizing me to not come closer. I smiled about his attempt to intimidate me and got closer, lifting my left hand which had started to glow dark greenish. He was not afraid of me but I will make sure that he will be terrified. I knew that he wouldn't last long if I would transform into my true form. He was just a human after all.

I came closer to him - Ready to reveal my true form.

My smile became wider when I noticed that his eyes became as large as possible when he witnessed my transformation. My majestic wings came out of my back and destroyed the pieces of furniture which had been standing next to me. My skin became much paler, green glowing horns grew out of my forehead. I became larger, my feet were replaced by hooves and my outfit changed as well.

I was standing right in front Varian who was regarding my true form with surprise and shock written all over his face. Even though I looked terrifying, Varian didn't show if he was afraid or not. I had expected that he would be scared but he wasn't. He was a brave warrior overall, I had to admit that. But his braveness wouldn't help him. He was one of the strongest humans on Azeroth but he was just a human after all.

And I was a female dreadlord - A dreadlady - A Nathrezim – A demon in general

He wouldn't have the smallest chance against me.

His only option was to surrender. But he didn't. Instead, a loud war cry escaped his lips when he charged at me and tried to hit me with his sword. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH JAINA? TELL ME DEMON AND I WILL REWARD YOU WITH A QUICK DEATH"

I didn't respond to him. I just smiled at him and dodged all of his attempts to hit me. I allowed him to hit me one time but even then, his sword didn't harm me at all. Green blood flowed out of the deep cut which was closed a moment later. His jaw dropped when he realized that his attack hadn't injured me at all.

I chuckled. "The truth is" I said and caught the next strike with my bare hand. "That I'm Jaina Proudmoore"

"NO! THIS IS A LIE" screamed Varian and pulled on his sword with all of his strength. He managed to snatch the sword out of my hand, cutting off two fingers in the progress. I stared at my hand and at my two separated fingers, wondering how he had managed to do that. The pain I was feeling was so weak that I could ignore it easily. Fortunately for me, my fingers grew back within a few moments. I shook my hand slightly and regarded the regenerated fingers.

I looked back at Varian, noticing that he was making a tensed face. I chuckled. "It's the truth"

"No, this is a lie" he hissed and attacked me again. This time I snatched Ellemayne and threw it away. It landed next to Calia who had observed the scene without saying or doing anything.

I came closer to Varian. My smile became wider with each step he made backwards. His back came in contact with the wall eventually. He was looking around, trying to find a way to escape. But there was no way for him to get away. I was twice as tall as him and a lot faster. Whenever he tried to run or attack me, I countered his attempt and pushed him back.

I got tired of this cat and mouse game after a while so I decided to end this quickly. I grabbed Varian by his throat and lifted him up so that his head was on the same height as mine.

My fel-green eyes stared into his, my dark purple lips formed a mischievous smile. I snatched the amulet out of his hand and destroyed it. I muttered a few words, starting to laugh quietly when I noticed that the charm was working. The glance Varian was giving me changed eventually. He looked at me the same way as Calia did, meaning that he was under my control. I regarded him with a satisfied smile on my lips.

I turned around and walked to the middle of the room. I looked back and said to my newest slave "Prepare the war against the Alliance. The Horde will attack soon so be ready for everything"

"As you wish, mistress" he responded and bowed to me. I chuckled and started to create a portal in the middle of the room. I shoved Calia through it before I walked through it as well.

I put my hand on Calia's shoulder and guided her to the opposite side of the room. We walked through the gate, arriving in another room. There was nothing noteworthy in the room so we walked through it as well and followed the bordering corridor.

We arrived in front of Lady Rissya's room eventually. I was about to knock at the door when I heard loud noises. I knew without needing to look that the hooves of a dreadlord were making these noises. I was curious who it was so I turned around and regarded the person.

Mal'Ganis was standing right in front of us and regarded us with interest. "Who do we have here?" he asked and came closer to Calia, caressing her left cheek with the back of his hand. Calia didn't shrink back nor did she express that she was feeling unwell. Still, I stepped in front of her to make clear that she was mine. To make clear that she was my servant and not his.

"Put your disgusting fingers away from my girl". My voice sounded strict. My eyes narrowed and my lips were pressed together in a thin line. My look was enough to signalize him that I was meaning it serious.

"Your girl?" he asked and laughed amused.

"She is my servant, not yours"

"She is a slave to the Burning Legion so I can do whatever I want with her. You should know that I'm associating only bad things with the name Menethil"

"You won't ever lay hand on her. Is that clear?"

Mal'Ganis laughed. "I'm admiring your self-confidence Lady Proudmoore but you have no power here. I'm a high ranked leader of the Burning Legion while you are only my mother's toy. If I decide that I do something with this woman, then I do it. There is nothing you can do against it.

"Are you sure about that?" I asked and gave him a grim look.

Mal'Ganis laughed again. "Yes, I'm sure about that" he responded and stretched his arm out, trying to grab Calia. I reacted quickly and chipped his arm away. He tilted his head a little, his face showed confusion. The confusion was quickly replaced by anger.

"You dare to deny ME? Who do you think you are? I am Mal'Ganis. I belong to the most powerful members of the Nathrezim. And I am your master. You should stop opposing me if you want to live" he shouted angrily and made a step forward so that he was standing right in front of me. He made a grim face while he looked down at me and tried to show dominance.

But he didn't impress me nor did he scare me. I returned his staring, smiling when I noticed that my behaviour made him a lot angrier. He pursed his lips and hissed. "Step aside Lady Proudmoore and I may forget that you have opposed me"

My answer was short and very simple "No"

"No?" he asked, not believing that I had the courage to keep opposing him.

"NO?" he screamed and lifted his left claw in the air, ready to strike. I duck beneath his attack and made a counter attack. A painfilled cry escaped his pale lips when my hooves came in contact with the area between his legs. Even the armour there didn't protect him from the terrible pain he was feeling at this very moment.

He fell to his knees, his face distorted with pain. He was holding his hands in front of his manhood as if he wanted to protect it from another kick. I regarded him amused and turned around when I heard that the door behind us was opened. I saw Lady Rissya who was regarding us, one of her eyebrows was raised.

"What is going on here?" she asked curiously.

"Nothing" hissed Mal'Ganis and stared ashamed on the ground.

"Nothing? Nothing looks different, to be honest" she said and regarded her son. She shifted her gaze to me. "Explain"

"Your son was about to lay hands on my property" I told.

"It's not her property. It's the property of the Burning Legion. I'm also allowed to do whatever I want with this human" justified Mal'Ganis. His voice was still shaky and sounded a lot higher than usual.

"Normally, you would be right but you forget that Lady Jaina is now a Nathrezim as well so she has the same rank as you have. This means that you are not allowed to take her things and slaves without permission" his mother explained and put her hand on my back, rubbing it softly.

Mal'Ganis got up eventually, giving his mother a slightly angry look. "I've fulfilled my duty. I shouldn't be a low ranked Nathrezim anymore. I've proved my worth to my father so there is no reason that I and Arthas Menethil's whore have the same rank.

"Insult my new student again and you will regret it" spoke Lady Rissya with a serious face.

Mal'Ganis looked at her confused. "First you defend me and do everything in your power so that father gives me another chance and now you are against me? What is going on mother?"

"Nothing is going on my dear. You just have to accept that you have no privileges because you are my and Thel'zaron's son. You have to earn the privileges you want to have so badly. It's true that I'm protecting you but you have to learn to act on your own. You cannot always count on my protection"

"If Father or Lord Sargeras will hear how you are treating me..." he began but he was interrupted by his mother.

"Then what? You know how your father is thinking of you. He is not very excited that you are working for us again. And there are other things Lord Sargeras has to worry about. He has not the time to protect his grandchild who gets kicked in the testicles by a woman.

I chuckled when I saw the deeply embarrassed face Mal'Ganis was making. I gave him a triumphing grin, putting my arms on Calia's hips and pulling her closer so that her body came in contact with mine. "She is mine" I spoke, rubbing Calia's cheeks with my hands. Calia gave me an impassive look, which meant that she didn't care at all.

"You need to mark her if you really want to claim her as yours"

"Mark her?" I asked, looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Demons love to scratch their symbols in the skins of their pets and servants. I've marked you as well" she explained and put her hand on my belly.

"There is my mark?" I asked and looked at Lady Rissya's beautiful face. She trailed her hand down until it was right between my legs.

"Right above here. You can only see it if you remove your clothes" she responded and gave me a wide grin. "You can put your mark on whatever spot you prefer but you have to use fel energy to mark your victim. These marks are hard and painful to remove. You can choose how your symbol should look like but mark her as fast as possible or someone else will be faster. It doesn't even have to be visible. Yours is hidden as well. Other demons can sense my essence on you so they know that you are mine. They will know as well that this pretty woman is yours because they will sense your essence on her"

"I will do that. Thank you, mistress"

"No problem, my dear" she responded and caressed my cheek with her hand. "Come to me as soon as you have marked her. I'm waiting for your report". She spanked my ass and walked in her room, closing the door behind her. I put my arm around Calia's waist and gave Mal'Ganis one last triumphing grin before I walked away with my once dearest friend.

We didn't need long to find a room which was empty. We walked inside and closed the door behind us. I regarded Calia closely, thinking about how the symbol should look like and where I should place it. Calia was looking back at me but her face showed no emotions.

I signalized Calia to take her robe off and she did it without hesitation. I regarded her closely, my eyes roamed over her curves for a short moment. I had to admit that she was everything but looking bad in her red underwear. But I hadn't stripped her to admire her. I had done it to place my mark on her body. I stopped looking at her naked skin and got focused again.

"This may hurt a little" I spoke and pressed the tip of my index finger against her left hip. Calia was brave. Not a single scream or cry escaped her lips when I scratched my symbol in her skin. I regarded it after I was done. The symbol consisted out of two letters which were glowing greenish - J and P.

I stood up and regarded Calia once again before I allowed her to get dressed again. I wrapped my arm around her waist, making sure that I didn't touch the fresh mark. I left the room with her and walked to my mistress' chamber. I knocked at the door and lowered my head in respect when the door was opened.

"Come in" demanded Rissya. I didn't hesitate and entered the room with Calia.

"Now it's official. She is your property. Your slave"

"I prefer servant. Slave doesn't sound right. She was my friend once"

"It doesn't matter what she once was. You are a servant of the mighty Lord Sargeras and you are my toy as well. That's all that matters. You will manipulate, hurt and even kill the people you once knew for the glory of the Legion. Is that clear?"

"Yes, mistress"

"Show me the mark" she demanded.

I looked at Calia without saying anything. She nodded and removed her dress. I noticed that Lady Rissya's eyes roamed over Calia's body and rested long on her breasts and the area between her legs. "You have a nice body" Lady Rissya said to Calia.

Calia didn't say anything. Her only response was a nod to Lady Rissya.

Lady Rissya moved to Calia and put one of her hands on the other hip which wasn't marked. Her other hand caressed the human's cheek. "She is breathtakingly beautiful. I guess beauty is running in her family. Arthas is very handsome for a human. I understand why you have desired him so much. You are still admiring him, that's why you slept with him in the bush. You know that you have to convince him to serve us"

"I know, mistress"

"You shoulder mark him as well then or I will mark him. Don't tell my husband but I have a weakness for beautiful humans. Men or women doesn't matter for me. I like both genders"

"I know but Calia is mine. Arthas will be mine as well. You may be my mistress but they belong to me. So, you have to ask me first if you want to do something with them"

Lady Rissya chuckled. "You are very impressive. None of my other toys would dare to speak with me like that. You are very brave for a former human"

"I know"

Once again, Lady Rissya chuckled. "I could do anything to you because you are my property. I could hurt you, rape you or kill you. Still, you are showing no fear and behave like a very self-confident person"

"Because I am a self-confident person. I know you need me to win the war against the mortals, so you should treat me well if you want my help"

"I really like you" she responded and gave me a wide grin. She caressed my cheeks and pressed a soft kiss on my lips. She pulled away before I was able to do something. "Now go and fuck your precious prince until he obeys your command and joins us"

"As you wish, mistress" I responded and bowed to her. Then I helped Calia to get dressed and left the room with her.


	35. Deceiver

I sat down on a chair and regarded the room I was in. It was nicely furnished. The pieces of furniture were not too expensive but not too cheap. The chair, on which I was sitting, and the table in front of me were made out of hard oakwood. On the table stood a plate of food and a few jugs filled with tea or apple juice. The tablecloth was blue and decorated with yellow flower patterns.

My gaze rested on my son who was playing with his toys. He was sitting in the middle of the toy castle he had built. The castle's structure reminded me of Lordaeron. There was a massive building in the middle which was surrounded by thick walls and lots of turrets. Toy soldiers with resembled archers were standing on top of the walls and turrets.

The figure which looked very similar to me was standing in front of the front gate with a few knights which were wearing heavy armour and blue tabards. Just like the knights of Lordaeron - And the knights of the Alliance in general.

There was even a figure which looked similar to Sylvanas. I wasn't sure if he knew who Sylvanas was and what she was doing. I didn't even know who had made these toys. It seemed that this mysterious person had put a lot of effort into making these toys.

Marcus was holding the Sylvanas figure in one of his hands while he moved catapults with his other hand. It seemed that Sylvanas and some undead creatures were attacking Lordaeron. I watched him for a while, giving him a smile whenever he looked up at me. Sylvanas' servants were defeated by the Knights of Lordaeron and her catapults were destroyed. In the end, my figure fought with the Sylvanas figure. My figure defeated Sylvanas eventually and captured her. Marcus put the figure of me on his bed and threw the figure of Sylvanas in the nearest corner of the room.

He rushed to me and climbed on my lap, wrapping his arms around me. He pressed his head against my chest and closed his eyes. It surprised me every time where I was seeing him that he wasn't afraid of me. It didn't bother him that I was undead nor did it bother him that my body was as cold as ice. He kept hugging me, not caring that he was shivering. I put my hand on his head, running my fingers through his hair. I put a blessing on him which made him immune to the cold and prevented that he would get sick.

I regarded him for a while, caressing his head without saying anything. I looked up when I heard that the door was opened. His mother entered the room. She was carrying a tray with a few bowls. She put the tray on the table and kneeled down to hug Marcus. He returned the hug happily and kissed her cheeks softly.

Vanessa giggled and sat down on a chair next to me, putting our son on her lap. Marcus' eyes widened. His mouth formed a wide smile when he noticed that all the bowls were filled with different kinds of sweets. He leaned over the edge of the table and grabbed the nearest bowl, almost knocking it over.

"Carefully, honey" said Vanessa and brought the bowl to her son slowly, making sure that he didn't take too many sweets. "Don't eat all of them at the same time. These are the sweets you get for today". She pointed at the sweets in Marcus' hand, signalizing him that he should be careful with them and shouldn't eat all of them at once.

He nodded and put a bonbon in his mouth, giving us a happy smile which I returned. I noticed that Vanessa was regarding me, joy and happiness were written all over her face. Her eyes rested on me when she put a kiss on our son's forehead. They also rested on me when she began to put a few grapes in her mouth. I gave her a smile, wondering why she was looking at me the entire time.

Marcus looked up at me eventually, regarding me with a thoughtful look on his face. "Can I ask you something, daddy?"

"Of course, you can" I responded and leaned forward.

"Who is that woman who shouted at you and why was she so angry?"

"Well" I started and made a thoughtful face as I was trying to figure out an answer he could understand. "Her name is Jaina and she is really important for me"

"So, you spend a lot of time with her?" he asked.

"Yes, I do"

"So, she is a friend of you?"

"Well, she is more than a friend for me but I will explain that to you if you are older" I told.

"But I'm important too, right daddy?" he asked, looking at me with big eyes.

"Of course, you are"

"And mommy too?" he asked, showing these big and cute eyes again.

"Err, yes. Of course"

"More than me?" he asked curiously.

"I like you both the same way. I don't have a favourite" I responded and ran my fingers through his blond hair.

"And her?"

I tilted my head. "Who do you mean?"

"Your friend" he answered and kept staring at me.

"Well, I like her too, my dear son"

"I don't like her"

"Why?" I asked, sounding very surprised. I hadn't expected that, to be honest. I mean, it was hard to predict anything because this entire situation was weird enough. I had never expected to have a son, at least not with a woman who wasn't Jaina.

I had found out that I had a son but I had never spent time with him before. I wanted to make up for that and spend more time with him but this turned out to be very difficult. First of all, Jaina, the other leaders of the Alliance and I had to make sure that the Burning Legion wouldn't invade our world again. Also, we had to prevent that the Horde would go to war with us.

Then there was Jaina who wanted that I would spend as much time as possible with her. I knew it would be very difficult for me to find the time to visit my son and Vanessa. It would be a lot harder if my son really disliked Jaina because that would mean that I couldn't take her to him, which meant that I had to choose between them. I hated making decisions where both outcomes would make a person sad. I had to find a solution for this or I would be forced to neglect one of them. I wasn't planning on letting the Alliance down nor was I planning on spending less time with Jaina. What should I do?

I continued to look at Marcus who was making a thoughtful face. "She wants to have you for herself. She doesn't want that we are spending time together. She doesn't like mommy and me"

"That's not true. She doesn't hate you nor does she want to have me for herself. She just has problems to accept that you are my son. She doesn't want to push you away. She just needs time to get used to you and your mommy"

"Why is it so difficult for her to accept me?" he asked. He was making a sad face as if he was blaming himself for this. I sighed and put my arms around him, giving him a comforting hug.

"I don't know, my son. I don't know"

"Look, Marcus. Jaina has nothing against you and me. She has just overreacted a little when she has found out about your existence"

"But why hasn't she showed up since the argument with daddy? She could have visited us already" He looked at Vanessa. His eyes told me that he wanted to know an answer.

"I don't know, honey"

"She is very busy. There is a lot going on between us and the Horde. She wants to make sure that there will be no bad blood between Alliance and the Horde" I explained and gave him a comforting smile. "Don't worry, she will visit you as soon as she can"

"Hopefully" he said quietly and made a depressed face. I put my hand on his shoulder, caressing his cheek with my other hand. "Don't worry, she will come. You just have to be patient" I spoke.

"Promised?" he asked.

"Promised"

He smiled and slipped off his mother's lap, walking to his toy castle. He rebuilt it and started to play again. This time, my men and I were the attackers and Sylvanas was the one who hid in the main building of Lordaeron. Just like she was doing these days. The only difference to our current situation was that I was not planning on attacking Undercity.

Vanessa sat there for a while and watched our son while playing with his toys until he got tired. She picked him up eventually and brought him to his bed. She wrapped the blanket around him and read a bedtime story to him. The story was about a prince who fought against a scary dragon to rescue a queen. Marcus really liked the story except for the part where the prince kissed the princess and married her in the end.

I chuckled, remembering that I hadn't really liked girls in my youth. At least not before I had met Jaina. She had changed me so much and had made my life better. I didn't know what I would have done without her. Without her, a lot would have been different. Maybe I would have fallen in love with another woman, then I would have become the Lich King's servant and would have never gotten free because no other woman would have taken the same risk Jaina had taken to rescue me. I owned Jaina a lot and I knew I had to show her how grateful I was to have her.

A thought came in my mind. I had to surprise Jaina. I had to show her how important she was to me and what she really meant for me. I had to surprise her or make something special for her. Maybe a romantic candlelight dinner. Oh wait, we were both undead... That was unfortunate. Really Unfortunate. But I knew that I would be able to find another, maybe even better idea.

Marcus looked at me for the last time before he closed his tired eyes and fell asleep very quickly. His mother placed a kiss on his forehead, regarding him for a few moments. She turned around and gave me a small smile as she came closer to me.

"Let's go to the next room and talk there. I don't want to wake up our son accidentally" she said and moved towards the door.

"Fine" I responded and followed her out of the room. She sat down on a chair as soon as we entered the next room to the left. I didn't hesitate and took a seat opposite to her.

"I have to thank you" she said, giving me a smile.

"For what?" I asked, giving her a questioning look.

"For bringing Marcus and me to Stormwind City. Icecrown Citadel is not the ideal place to raise a child. There were no other children who could have played with Marcus. Now he has the chance to find friends and grow up in a much better place. He can become a normal boy who doesn't have to see many of these undead, ugly creatures every day"

"I only did what everyone would have done. You have to thank King Varian for allowing you two to stay here. Not me. I haven't done anything noteworthy"

"Don't say that. You could have held us in Icecrown like the Lich King did. But you didn't. Instead, you have brought us to this wonderful place" she responded and put her hand on my left hand. She made a worried expression as if something bad had come in her mind out of sudden. "King Varian doesn't know that Marcus is your son, does he?"

"Of course not. I don't want to risk that Sylvanas' spies would find out about our secret. Jaina, you and I are the only ones who know that Marcus is my son. I haven't even told Calia about this" I responded, trying to pull my hand away from hers. It didn't work quite well because she moved her hand with mine.

"But you intend to tell her, right?"

"One day where Sylvanas is not a threat for Jaina and me anymore. I don't want that Marcus gets hurt. I will tell Calia about him but first I have to make sure that Sylvanas is harmless and not able to harm our loved ones"

"How do you want to achieve that? Kill her? Capture her? Or do you want to do something else?" she asked curiously and caressed the back of my hand. Her touch was soft but I ignored the feeling of her skin against mine and didn't show her that I was enjoying this a little.

"I don't know, to be honest" I responded and stared at the ceiling, wondering if Sylvanas will leave me in peace one day.

Vanessa gave me another smile "You will find a solution. I'm pretty sure about that"

"I hope" I whispered and began to stare out of the window. I regarded the beautiful view of the harbour of Stormwind City. The sun was about to sink so that the horizon was glowing in bright red light.

"Everything is going to be fine. I promise" she caressed my hand once again. Her smile became wider when I turned my head to her and regarded her. "Anyways, let's talk about something else"

"What do you have in mind?"

"We could talk about our past"

"There is nothing about what we could talk" I responded and gave her an irritated look. "We spend a night together with your sister. We had sex one time. That's all that happened between us"

"I'm the mother of your child, Arthas"

"I know but that doesn't mean that there is more than friendship between us. You know that I love Jaina with all of my heart" I responded and managed to pull my hand away from hers finally.

I ignored the hurt look she was giving me. I knew which tools women were using to get their wills. I have grown up with a stubborn sister so I knew that women loved to sulk to force a man to surrender. I wouldn't fall for her tricks. I didn't look at her to prevent that the look she was giving me would make me weak.

It seemed that Vanessa had no answer for this but it didn't seem that she had already given up. I didn't need to get known better to her to notice that she was not the type of woman who would give up that easily. I knew that she would not stop to try to talk me into something I didn't want to do. I had to find a way to switch topics without her realizing that I didn't want to talk with her about this.

"You are a very special person, Arthas. You are the kindest, best looking and bravest man I've ever met" she spoke and leaned over the table a little so that her head was closer to mine.

"I guess I have to thank you for this compliment but that doesn't change anything between us. I respect you because you are Marcus' mother and a very nice person but I don't want anything more than friendship. I love Jaina and I will never love someone else nor do I ever want to cheat on her. No woman in the universe is worth enough to risk breaking Jaina's heart. There is no woman who could ever replace Jaina. I'm sorry to say that but I have no romantic feelings for you nor do I want you in a sexual way" I told and made a small pause. "My heart and body belong to Jaina. Not to someone else"

"You are lame, Arthas. The most exciting men are those who risk something and don't say no to an affair" she spoke and shook her head.

"I would rather be boring than cheating on the woman I love" I responded, pulling my hand away before she could grab it. I expected her to give me a hurt look but instead, she was giving me an angry look. Her eyes were narrowed. Her lips were pursed. She was frowning and biting her bottom lip hard. I expected her to shout at me, throw things at me and insult me but she didn't. Instead, she remained calm and the angry look disappeared out of her face.

She crossed her arms in front of her chest and regarded me without saying anything else. I remained silent as well, regarding her with a raised eyebrow.

"So" she spoke eventually, not saying anything else.

"So what?" I asked and leaned back against the chair, crossing my arms in front of my chest.

"You won't go out with me, right?" she asked, making an impassive face.

"Of course, I won't go out with you. Have you missed that I'm in a relationship with a very charming woman?"

"She is not that charming as you might think"

"What do you mean?" I asked irritated.

"Just look at her. She looks anything but beautiful. I, on the other hand, am breathtakingly beautiful. Jaina may have looked gorgeous in life but now she is undead and looks like a rotten corpse"

"That's not true" I shouted, sounding louder and more aggressive than I had wanted. "She is the most beautiful woman I have ever met, even as an undead. I would never want to change anything about her, especially not her look. She is gorgeous. Besides, I don't love her because of the way she looks. It is true that I'm really attracted to her look but that's not the only thing I love of her. I love her the way she is. I love her character, her quirks and the way she is looking at things. She always sees the good in people, even if the portion of goodness is very little. She always tries to find a peaceful way to solve problems. She has a good heart, even if it doesn't beat anymore. I really love everything about her"

I stood up because this pointless discussion was over for me. I wanted to give Vanessa time to think about her behaviour and figure out what she had done wrong and which line she had crossed. I turned my back to her and was about to walk out the room when I felt a hand on my shoulder which prevented me from moving any further. "DON'T YOU DARE TO EVER LEAVE ME ALONE AGAIN" Vanessa screamed.

I turned around. My eyes widened when I saw that Vanessa's eyes were glowing dangerously green. I didn't know what was going on with Vanessa nor did I know what she was about to do. I was hit by something before I was even able to react. A magical bond was wrapped around my body and prevented that I could move. My arms, as well as my legs, were tied together, causing that I feel on the ground.

She walked over to me, regarding me with a wide grin and predatory eyes. She put a magical gag in my mouth, preventing that I could scream and ask for help. She bent down and started to remove my tunic.

_What is she doing? She is not going to... She wouldn't..._

I couldn't believe this, nor could I believe that I've been fooled by this woman who had pretended to be a nice person. The truth was that she was a psychopath. A jealous psychopath who would do everything to get her will.

She removed all of my clothes except for my underwear. She gave me a wide grin, starting to remove her own clothes. She got fully undressed, regarding me with a much wider grin. I had to admit that she had a really erotic body but her good look was not enough to make me willingly. She will never be able to break my will and force me to do whatever she wanted.

She was about to remove my pants when a sharp ice splinter hit her in the left shoulder. A loud cry escaped her lips and she staggered backwards. I turned my head a little, my tense body relaxed a little when I saw Jaina standing in the door. She had crossed her arms in front of her chest. Her eyes were narrowed and she was having a melancholy look on her face. She was everything but happy to see this awkward scene.

Jaina tilted her head and scrutinized Vanessa. Her eyes rested long on her dark green eyes and the green glowing tattoo on the left half of her face. Vanessa had removed the splinter and gotten dressed in the meantime.

"Dare to lay your hands on Arthas again and you will lose them" spoke Jaina. Her voice was low and sounded dangerous.

"Look who is here. Jaina Proudmoore finally shows up after leaving Stormwind for two weeks" she spoke with a provocative voice.

"My absence doesn't mean that you are allowed to fuck my boyfriend, you dirty whore" responded Jaina, lifting one of her hands. She created another ice splinter and let it rotate around its own axis, signalizing Vanessa that she was ready to attack. "Especially because he doesn't want you and your filthy body

"At least my body is not cold as ice and doesn't rot. Arthas won't ever want to enter your rotten, smelly pussy after he has tested mine" she spoke, giving Jaina another provocative grin.

This insult had triggered something in Jaina. She didn't even give Vanessa a verbal reply. She gave her a physical reply in the form of the ice-splinter which hit her other shoulder. Vanessa cried out in pain but she didn't wait long to pull the splinter out of her shoulder.

Jaina walked to me and cut the bond with an ice-dagger. She helped me up and stepped in front of me.

"Stay away from her, Arthas. She is manipulated by the Burning Legion" she shouted and pointed at the glowing tattoo.

I gave Jaina a surprised look. "Wait... What? How could you know that?"

"I can feel fel-energy in her. This can only mean that a demon has transferred portions of its powers to her" she explained and created an arcane barrier around us.

"Are you serious?" I asked, still looking at her.

"Yes, she is right" spoke Venessa. Her voice sounded a lot deeper.

"Why are you supporting the Burning Legion?" I asked, giving her a look, which told her that I demanded an answer. But she didn't say anything in return. She just stood there, the ice-splinter in one hand while she closed her wound by casting a spell with the other hand. She tilted her head and looked at us, giving us a provocative smile.

She didn't give us a verbal answer, instead, she shot a green sphere at us. The sphere, which made out of fel-energy, came in contact with Jaina's barrier. At least the barrier was strong enough to protect us from this spell. Unfortunately, it was destroyed in the process.

"Is that all you have got?" asked Jaina and shot an arcane blast at Vanessa, hitting her right in the chest. Vanessa was flung away and collided with the opposite wall. She got up very quickly.

Suddenly, a painful cry escaped her lips and her face distorted in pain. She arched her back and pressed her hands on her sleeves. Two massive wings came out of her back and two horns grew out of her forehead.

"Arthas Menethil belongs to me" she cried out with a deep, demonic sounding voice and charged forward, trying to scratch Jaina with her hands which had turned into massive claws. She didn't look like a real demon, more like a weird mix between a demon and a human. Like a human whose transformation into a demon had stopped out of sudden.

Fortunately, Jaina managed to dodged and counter her attack. Vanessa was flung away, a sharp ice-splinter stuck in her rips. She got up and tried to attack again but I hit her with my hammer before she reached Jaina. She got up eventually, giving me a very surprised look. It seemed that she had expected that I would stand still like a statue and only watch the happening. I had done the exact opposite and had supported Jaina instead of doing nothing. I didn't know if there was a way to free Vanessa from the demonic influence but at least I wanted to prevent that Jaina would get hurt by her.

"You are siding with her? That's disappointing" spoke the half-demon and charged forward. She hit me with one her feet, sending me to the ground. She didn't hesitate and jumped on Jaina, sending her to the ground as well. Vanessa lifted her massive claws and tried to hit Jaina. But Jaina managed to roll away before any of these sharp and pointed fingernails scratched her.

She got up and hit Vanessa with a fireball. Her clothes caught fire but Vanessa didn't care. She walked circles around Jaina while regarding her with narrowed eyes. I grabbed my hammer as soon as I was back on my feet and charged at the Vanessa. My hammer's head hit her in the stomach, causing that she spit a large amount of dark green blood out. It turned out that the holy light was very effective against the half-demon. It caused that the half-demon was heavily in pain which was reflected by her face.

"You will pay for that" Vanessa snarled and turned towards me, giving me her full attention. This foolish move allowed Jaina to sneak up behind her and ram Frostmourne in Vanessa's side. Jaina didn't hesitate and grabbed the demon by her hair, bashing her head against the nearest wall. One time, two times, three times until the demon lost her consciousness and passed out on the floor.

"What was that?" I said after I had come to terms with what had happened. I regarded the unconscious Vanessa whose demonic body parts had become normal again.

"A demon has taken control over her" responded Jaina and bent down, examining Vanessa's body. She turned Vanessa's head a little and wiped a strand of hair away, revealing more of her neck. Her index finger pointed at the glowing mark on the left side of Vanessa's neck. The mark was a symbol which consisted of two letters - 'M' and 'G' - The M stood on top of the G.

"What does that stand for?" I muttered, making a confused look.

"Mal'Ganis" whispered Jaina. She didn't even look at me. She just stared at the body as if she was looking for something. I stepped to her and put my hand on her shoulder. "Is everything alright?"

She turned around and gave me her brightest smile. "Of course, my dear" she whispered and caressed my cheek with her left hand. I returned the smile and put a soft kiss on her right cheek.

"Have I misheard you or have you really said the name of this bastard who was responsible for the spreading of the plague in Lordaeron?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

She looked into my eyes, giving me a worried look. "Yes, I have said his name"

"Why?"

"Because this mark is his"

"Where do you know that? There could be a lot of other demons whose initials could be M and G"

"Mal'Ganis is the only demon who wants something from you. You know that demons do not truly die outside the Twisting Nether. I think that he has returned because he is looking for vengeance"

"Where do you know that?" I asked and stared into her sky-blue eyes.

"I could explain that to you but that would take too long. You trust me, right?"

"Yes, I do"

"Then trust me in this case and accept that it's Mal'Ganis who wants to capture you"

I had hoped that I would never see this bastard again" I said quietly and regarded Vanessa once again.

"He may have returned but we will send him back soon to the hell where he belongs" promised Jaina and put her hand on my back. Rubbing it slowly. "Would you mind putting your clothes on?"

"Of course" I responded and got dressed quickly, blushing a little for whatever reason. "What do we do now with our new knowledge?"

"We have to inform Varian first and then we will check if we can help Vanessa. Maybe we can free her from the demon's influence"

I still can't believe that the Burning Legion is trying to invade us again"

"Demons are not known for giving up easily. I'm pretty sure that they will attack us over and over again until they conquer all of Azeroth" she explained.

"Then we have to prevent that the Legion achieve their goal"

"Yes, we have to and this time we have to defeat them once and for all.

I nodded and laid Vanessa on the bed, covering her with a blanket. Jaina cast a spell on her which prevented that she could cast any spell or stand up from the bed.

"Come, let's go to Varian. We have a lot to discuss with him" she said and took my hand, brushing her thumb over the back of my hand. I gave her a smile and placed a soft kiss on her lips. She returned the smile and intertwined our fingers. Together we walked along the corridor which led us to the throne room of Stormwind Keep.


	36. Strange Incidents

Varian sat on his chair and gave us a look which was a mix of surprise and disbelief. He was wearing his typical blue and golden coloured armour. His black hair was tied up in a messy pony-tail. He looked shocked as well. Shocked about the news that a demon had taken control over a human. We hadn't told him that Vanessa was the mother of my son. He knew that I knew her and Mal'Ganis had influenced her because he wanted to get me.

I observed Varian who was still sitting on his chair. I didn't know why but somehow something about him was suspicious as if something had changed over the past week where we hadn't seen him. He was acting differently. Maybe I was just imagining this. But I had the impression that he was acting like a different person. The way he moved, the way he looked at us seemed different for me. Maybe I was just imagining this and was seeing something which wasn't there. Maybe.

"I can't believe that the Burning Legion went that far. They are really meaning it serious" said Varian and made a thoughtful and worried face.

"They are always meaning it serious. They have invaded Azeroth for more than one time. They will never stop trying to conquer our world" responded Jaina.

"That's true"

"What do we do now? We have to do something against it" I looked at Varian and then at Jaina who was giving me a worried look.

"We should take a closer look on Vanessa. Maybe we can locate Mal'Ganis with the help of the connection between him and Vanessa. If we find Mal'Ganis, we find the other demons which are working with them" she told.

"How do you know that there are other demons?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Normally, demons never work alone. Mal'Ganis had the help of the Cult of the Damned back then when he spread the plague in Lordaeron. He didn't work together with another demon that's why he failed in the end. He might have achieved his first goal to lure you into the service of the Lich King but he didn't manage to make you join the Legion. I don't want to imagine what would have happened if he would have gotten assistance from another dreadlord. I don't think you would have been able to kill two dreadlords back then, even with Frostmourne. Mal'Ganis would have succeeded and you would have become a member of the Legion"

"So, I'm glad that he didn't work together with another bastard of his kind back then" I spoke, pursing my lips.

"But now he won't do the same mistake"

"How can you know that?" I asked.

"Mal'Ganis was the mastermind behind the fall of Lordaeron. As wrong as it sounds, his plan was perfect. He planned it and executed it very well. His only mistake was to underestimate you and your will or in this case your thirst for vengeance. You killed him and never joined the Legion. I'm pretty sure that he has learned from his mistakes" spoke Jaina and put her hand on mine, stroking the back of my left hand with her thumb.

"I'm still asking myself why Mal'Ganis choose Vanessa and what he had wanted to achieve" spoke Varian.

"Maybe he wants to have vengeance. Arthas killed him. Demons are very arrogant creatures. They think that they are better than us 'mortal'. I'm pretty sure that being killed by Arthas had hurt his ego. Maybe he wants to clear his name by killing Arthas"

Varian looked at me for a small moment before he shifted his gaze back to Jaina. "How do we prevent that Mal'Ganis takes control over another person and attack Arthas again?"

"I don't know, to be honest. We have to try to find out Mal'Ganis' location. Then we have to confront him" responded Jaina.

Varian nodded and leaned back in his chair. "Alright"

"Has the Horde agreed to the meeting between Arthas and Thrall?" asked Jaina curiously.

Varian poured tea in a cup and took a sip, relaxing a little. "They have. Thrall wants to meet Arthas in three days in Dalaran. Now, where this flying city isn't occupied by the undead anymore, it is a neutral place again. We can use it as a location for meetings with the Horde. It's ideal for such meetings. We need the support of the Horde if we want to defend Azeroth against the Burning Legion"

I turned my head and looked at the beautiful woman next to me. "Do you come with me, Jaina?"

"Of course, I will". She leaned in and captured my lips with her own. The kiss didn't hold for too long but it was still good enough to make me happy and want for more. Of course, I knew I couldn't make out with her right in front of Varian, so I decided to save it for later.

"Five of my best men will escort you in case that Sylvanas Windrunner shows up and does something stupid" suggested Varian.

"There is no need for that. The mages of the Kirin Tor are capable enough of defending Arthas. Thrall will think that you don't trust him if you send your royal guard with us. It's better that we meet Thrall alone. The Kirin Tor will take care of us and make sure that Sylvanas won't get in Arthas' near" spoke Jaina. She intertwined our fingers and moved closer to me, leaning against me.

"I trust you. Both of you. Hopefully, this won't end in a disaster" the king of Stormwind responded and scratched his forehead.

"I'm with Arthas, don't forget that. I will protect him and prevent that anything will happen to him". Jaina kissed my cheek softly and rested her head on my shoulder.

Varian chuckled and emptied his cup of tea. "Alright. I think we have spoken about everything so you can go now if you want"

I gave him a nod. "See you later, old friend"

He returned the nod. "Good luck, Arthas"

I gave him a thankful smile and stood up. Jaina got up as well, making sure that our fingers were still intertwined. She caressed the back of my hand with her thumb. I brought her hand to my lips and pressed a soft kiss on it while staring into her beautiful eyes. She gave me a happy smile and pressed a kiss on my cheek. We stared at each other for a few moments, then we walked to the door. We waved at Varian and left the room, returning to our room.

The followings days were faster over than I had expected. I spent a lot of time with Marcus. I played with him and his toys mostly. I had to tell him excuses why he couldn't see his mother for a few days. He wasn't very happy about this but he didn't say anything. At least he was happy that I was around. We played with his toys and initiated many battles. Most of the time, my figure ended up defeating the figure of Sylvanas.

I had spent about six hours with Marcus every day while Jaina had been looking for a way to locate Mal'Ganis. In the afternoon, I had met Jaina and spent time with her. We had cuddled and had shared kisses and caresses. We had made long walks and regarded the sunset. One night, we had slept in a tent in the nearest forest. Of course, Varian's men and Jaina's clones had guarded the area.

The strangest thing was, that since our argument, Jaina had become a lot hornier. It had been impossible for me to deny her so we had spent at least three hours every night with making love. We had even made love under the stars. In life, I would have been worried that she could become pregnant if he would do it so often. But she was undead so she couldn't become pregnant.

Not that I didn't want children with her. Of course, I had always known that I would have children with her one day. But now where we were both undead, it was impossible.

We had never spent so much time together in bed. We had only done that when we had been young and alive. Each time where I had visited her in Dalaran, we had made love during the nights. We had only seen each other one or two times per month so we had used the time wisely. There was this one week where Jaina and I had travelled to Stormwind for a festival. We both had a week off so we had spent a lot of time together in our tent during the nights.

Anyways, the past days went by very quickly and day of the meeting with Thrall had arrived. I was standing in the middle of Dalaran, in the area once known as Runeweaver Square. It had been renamed to Proudmoore Square after Jaina had ordered all forces of the Scourge back to Icecrown and had freed Dalaran from the undead.

The statue on top of the fountain had been replaced as well. Instead of an armoured knight stood a statue of Jaina. But it didn't look like the Jaina statue in Theramore. The statue didn't show the living Jaina. The statue looked exactly like the Jaina from the present. The statue was an image of the undead Jaina which was wearing blue robes and was carrying two wands in her hands.

"That's a beautiful statue" I commented and shifted my gaze to the lovely person who was standing next to me and was holding my hand. Jaina smiled and stepped on her tiptoes to place a soft kiss on my lips. The kiss didn't last very long but it was good enough for us.

A few women, who were sitting on the benches around the fountain, cheered when they saw us kissing again. Jaina pulled away eventually, looking at me shyly. She was blushing a little and biting her bottom lip softly. I lifted one hand and ran strands of her golden hair through my fingers. I had to admit that she looked even more gorgeous with her dyed hair.

I regarded our reflections in the water, taking a closer look on my freshly dyed hair. "I really love that you have dyed your hair as well, Arthas. Blond hair looks better on you than silver hair"

"Thank you, honey" I responded and pressed a kiss on her neck. She giggled and punched my shoulder playfully.

"Stop it, people are watching us" she said teasingly and playfully.

My response was so quiet that only she could hear it "I don't care". I kissed her neck once again, marking my territory with a love bite. I pulled away and put and arm around her waist, giving her a wide grin.

I stared at her for a few moments before I turned my head and regarded our surroundings. It was unmistakable that Dalaran had seen better days. This once beautiful city had been devasted when it had been invaded by the Scourge years ago. The roads had been destroyed, the walls of the buildings had been damaged and even a few houses had been blown up. The city had looked more like a ruin than an actual city when we had freed it from the Scourge weeks ago.

Currently, hundreds of builders, mages and other spellcasters were working on it. They were doing their best to rebuild it and make it look like the Dalaran the people used to know. The Proudmoore Square and the Violet Citadel had been the first places which had been rebuilt. The other parts of Dalaran were waiting to be rebuilt soon. I was pretty sure that this city will regain its once beauty.

I was brought out of my thoughts when Jaina slapped my ass playfully. I jumped up a little, my cheeks reddened when I looked at her. "Come, my love. Thrall is waiting for us" she spoke with her soothing voice.

She put her arm around my waist and pressed a kiss on my lips before we started walking. We left the square and followed the path, which had to be rebuilt as well, to the Violet Citadel.

It was no surprise for me to see Rhonin among those who were helping to rebuild the city. Dalaran had been moved to the Eastern Kingdoms by the former Council of the Six. This allowed Rhonin to use his magic to rebuilt destroyed or damaged building structures. At this moment, he was talking to his wife who helped him with positioning a few statues.

We waved at them but they didn't notice us. We knew that Thrall could arrive any minute so we decided to pay her a visit later. We arrived in front of the Violet Citadel and regarded it.

It was unmistakable that the Council of the Six had used this opportunity to make the building larger, better looking and better protected against attacks of every description. It had been a long time since I had seen the Violet Citadel in its full splendour before it had been heavily damaged. So, I couldn't judge if the rebuilt citadel looked better than the old version. I only noticed that Jaina was making and amazed face when she regarded it, telling me that she was more than just impressed by this magnificent building.

The white marble, out of which most of the building was made, reflected the sun perfectly so that the building looked even more beautiful than it already was. The reflected sun was not that strong so it didn't dazzle the creatures which were standing in its near nor did it hurt their ears. The roofs of the citadel and its many turrets were covered by purple tiles. The citadel was very tall and wide, meaning that there was enough space for thousands of rooms. All in all, this building was one of the most impressive buildings I had ever seen.

We regarded the magnificent building for a few moments before we climbed the long staircase to the entrance. We were greeted by two mages of the Kirin Tor who guided us through the entrance hall to the room where the meeting took place.

The first person I saw was the glorious leader of the Horde Thrall. He was sitting at the head of a long wooden table. Next to him on his left side was a much older orc with grey hair who was wearing firm red coloured armour which covered his entire body except for his head. On Thrall's right side sat a blue-skinned troll with a red mohawk. I recognized these persons as Overlord Saurfang and Vol'jin, the chieftain of the darkspear tribe. Behind them stood two Sin'dorei mages who wore red robes.

Their gazes shifted to us when they noticed our presence. The faces Thrall's companions were making didn't tell us if they were enjoying to see us or not. Varok Saurfang was making a grim face while Vol'jin made an expressionless face. Thrall was the only one who showed sympathy for us.

He was giving us a smile and put his mighty weapon 'Doomhammer' on the floor, signalizing that he was trusting us. Jaina returned his smile and gave him a nod, taking a seat at the end of the table, opposite to Thrall. I sat next to her, intertwining my fingers with hers under the table.

I had expected that we would be silent for the first few minutes and would do nothing except staring at the members of the other faction. But that didn't happen. Thrall was the one who spoke first, a few moments after we had sat down on our seats.

"I'm glad that we finally meet" he spoke, shifting his gaze to me. "King Varian has promised me that you have no intentions to harm the citizens of Azeroth. He told me that you are not working for the Scourge anymore and that you want to make up for the mistakes you have made in the past. Is that right?"

"Yes, it is" I responded without hesitation, returning the Warchief's staring. "I know that the actions I had made because of my thirst of vengeance, have led to the death of numerous innocent people. I've sworn to do everything in my power to make up for all the destroyed lives. I know that I will never be able to make up for the hundreds of thousands of lives which had been destroyed by the Lich King. Nevertheless, I want to help wherever I can.

I knew by looking in his eyes that he was believing me.

"So, how does your plan look like?" Saurfang asked. His narrowed eyes and his ice-cold face showed me that he was not convinced by my answer.

"Well, we have managed to get the Scourge under our control so the next step would be to prevent that the Burning Legion will successfully invade Azeroth. I want to fight for the citizens of Azeroth and risk my life for the greater good"

"How do we know tha' you are speakin' da truth an' not lyin' ta us?" asked Vol'jin. His strong troll accent was unmistakable.

"I know that it is hard for you to trust me after everything my rash actions have caused. But you have to believe me that I don't want to harm anyone. Not the Alliance and not the Horde. I've helped Jaina getting the Scourge under control. They haven't harmed any citizens for more than half a year. Over the past year, we didn't do a single move against the Horde or the Alliance. We even sent the remaining forces of the Scourge back to Icecrown so that the rest of Northrend is free" I responded and looked at the ambassadors of the Horde, wondering what they were thinking at this very moment.

"Your words are not enough to convince us that we can trust you" spoke Saurfang, regarding me with narrowed eyes. Somehow, I had the assumption that he hated me and didn't want to cooperate with me. As if I had been responsible for the death of a person who had been close to him. If only I could know why he was looking at me like this.

He kept regarding me like this during the entire conversation. I answered Thrall's and Vol'jin's question honestly and explained how we wanted to proceed against the Legion. Both believed me. Only Saurfang didn't say anything, nor did he stop looking at me like this.

I was about to ask him what was wrong with him when a bright light came out of nowhere and dazzled us. I held my hands in front of my eyes but I was not able to see something even though I was a paladin, a servant of the light. The light was too bright for my eyes. I closed them, hoping the dazzling light would disappear as soon as possible.

I opened my eyes after a while, noticing that the dazzling light was not there anymore. I noticed soon enough that Jaina and I were not in the Violet Citadel anymore. I didn't know where we were. I only knew that we were not in Dalaran anymore.

"Where are we?" I asked and looked at Jaina who opened her eyes at this very moment. She looked around, making a surprised face.

"I have no clue" she said quietly and made a few steps forward, regarding our surroundings closely. We were standing in some sort of a cave. The cave was not very tall, meaning that we had to be careful that we wouldn't bump our heads against the uneven ceiling. I regarded the cave's inside and the natural formed dark coloured walls. There were a few stalactites which hang from the ceiling. It wouldn't end well for the one who would come in contact with the very sharp tips which hang from the ceiling.

Somehow, I hadn't noticed the water on the ground earlier. At least it only reached to our ankles so it didn't bother us.

"Can you get us out of here?" I asked and looked at Jaina. She nodded her head and made a few steps backwards, lifting both wands. She closed her eyes and muttered a few words. The crystals of both wands started to glow brightly like her hair when she kept casting her spell.

She opened her eyes eventually and made a surprised face when she noticed that we were still standing in this cave. She closed her eyes and tried it again. Without success.

"Weird" she muttered and gave me a worried look. "I don't know why my spell doesn't work. I can feel the power rushing through my veins, still, I'm not able to cast this stupid teleportation spell"

"Maybe someone is blocking you out or this place prevents that your spell works" I suggested, making a thoughtful face.

"Both could be possible. We have to get out of the cave, then we will find out if I can make portals or not" she responded.

I gave her a nod and took her hand, pointing at the small path between the cave walls not far away from us. We had to walk one after one through it because the path was too thin for both of us. The cave was smaller than expected. I had thought that we would walk for a while but instead, we had found the exit after a walk of ten minutes.

The area around the cave was unfamiliar to us. We checked it carefully but we didn't find out where we were. We found no indications where we had been brought. Jaina walked a few steps, stopping in front of the nearest tree. It had no leaves like the other trees of the dead forest. Most of these trees were very little, bent or degenerated. The distances between them were very large so that this forest looked more like a bunch of lonely trees than an actual forest.

The ground beneath our feet was dry, dusty and didn't look very healthy. There was no way that any form of life would ever rise from this ground.

"This place looks so sad. Not even the area around Undercity looks so miserable" I commented and bent down, running my hand over the firm ground.

"Let's get out of here. I don't want to stay here any longer" spoke Jaina and closed her eyes. She muttered the same words she had said in the cave. Unfortunately, her spell didn't work for some reason.

She frowned and checked our surroundings as if she was looking for the source which prevented that she was able to create portals. She created a small fireball, calming down a little when she realized that she was at least able to use magic in general. Her attempts of creating a flame hadn't worked in the cave but at least it was working outside the cave.

Jaina looked at me for a short moment before she rushed to the nearest hill. I followed her. My eyes widened when I saw a blue glowing portal on the other side of the valley in front of us. There were lots of demonic creatures like felhounds, felbeasts and even imps on the bottom of the valley. The portal was guarded by two massive demons which carried big weapons in their hands.

"What is this place?" I asked quietly. I was holding my hammer tightly, whose head shined brightly. At least I knew that the light wouldn't let me down.

"I've no clue" she responded and tilted her head, regarding the dark green sky.

"We have to get to that portal" I commented.

"Yes, we have to" she responded and began to cast a spell. She summoned six massive water elementals which were wearing heavy armours. Even their oddly shaped heads were covered by blue helmets so that only their blue glowing eyes were visible. Jaina turned her head a little and gave me a nod. I returned the nod and rushed with her to the bottom of the valley.

We fought hard, crushed the skulls of demons or tore them apart. These demons were stronger than we had excepted but we defeated them eventually. All water elementals had been destroyed and even the freshly summoned fire and ice elementals hadn't survived the battle. At least, all demons were dead except for the two brutes in front of the portal.

Jaina had told me about this kind of demon. They were known as wrathguards and were taller and more muscular than most demons. Their upper bodies were exposed but their lower bodies were covered by heavy armour and they were carrying a massive sword in each hand.

The demons regarded us with interest. Their hesitation was their biggest mistake. A fireball hit the first in the chest before it had realized what was going on. It staggered backwards but the second reacted quickly. He charged at Jaina and attempted to cut her in halves. Of course, I prevented that by jumping in front of her and blocking the demon's attack with my hammer.

I managed to push the demon away with all of my force, causing that it nearly fell over its own feet. I jumped forward and swung my hammer, connecting its head with the head of this miserable creature. The demon was not able to scream in pain because its entire head was squashed like an overripe melon. I didn't wait that the body dropped on the ground as I made my next move and dodged the slice attack of the first demon.

Two very sharp ice-splinters hit the demon in the face, completely taking its vision as they bored into its eyes. The demon cursed loudly but I didn't care what it was saying because I couldn't understand it anyway. I took a swing, ramming my hammer in its upper body. The demon cried out once again but it stopped suddenly when a shape rotating ice-disc separated its ugly head from its body.

I turned around, showing Jaina that I was more than just impressed by this. I noticed that she looked really exhausted but that was no wonder after this battle against hundreds of demons. The battle, which had lasted for at least three hours, had exhausted me as well.

I regarded the portal with raised eyebrows. "Should we really walk through it? We don't know where it would bring us"

"There is no other way for us to get out of this demon infested place. And I have not enough power left to fight this horde of demons which is approaching us" she responded and pointed at a spot behind me. I turned around, spotting dozens of demons which were arriving on the other side of the valley.

"You are right. We have to go before they come close to us". I took Jaina's hand and looked at her, receiving a nod from her. We stepped through the portal together, relaxing when we noticed that it was closed behind us. We checked our new surroundings, noticing that we were standing in the middle of a battlefield.

Around us were soldiers of the Alliance fighting against troops of the Horde. Steel clashed against steel. Steel cut through flesh and bones. Fire and other magical creations hit soldiers and heavily injured them or even killed them. There were hundreds of soldiers of both factions around us. But the Horde and the Alliance weren't the only factions which were involved in this battle.

We spotted undead creatures which weren't members of the Forsaken. They belonged to the Scourge and were fighting against the sons and daughters of the Horde. I spotted Kel'Thuzad not far away from me. At this very moment, he shackled two orcs on an icy pillar with magical frost chains. He created two ice splinters and pierced their heads with them. An amused expression was visible on his face as he turned around and killed a massive tauren which had been dumb enough to approach the master spellcaster alone.

I looked at Jaina who was making a shocked face. Her widened eyes darted from spot to spot. Her expression told me that she couldn't believe what was going on. Her gaze suddenly stopped wandering and rested on one person. I turned my head to find out at who she was looking at.

The person was no other than Vereesa Windrunner who was lying on the dirty ground and was surrounded by Velonara and three lower-ranked dark rangers. An arrow stuck in Vereesa's right upper thigh. But that was not the only injury she had. There was a long and deep bleeding cut in her left hip. One of Vereesa's hands was pressed on the cut, the other held a sharp dagger.

Velonara turned her head a little and regarded us, giving us a provocative smile. I noticed out of the corner of my eyes that two blood elves were approaching us. The looks they were giving me told me that they were not amused to see me. I looked at Jaina who signalized me to take care of the blood elves.

I gave her a nod and turned around, facing the two angry males. They were wearing golden and red coloured armour. Both of them carried a sword and a massive shield. They charged at me, flanking me from two sides. I dodged their attacks at the last moment then I swung my hammer, hitting the shield of the first one with a massive blow so that he staggered backwards.

That gave me enough time to attack the second elf. My hammer shattered his shield and hit his chest. His corselet shattered and blood flowed out of his mouth. He fell to the ground and laid there for a few moments. He tried to get up but a familiar person was faster and pierced his sword through his chest. The blood elf was dead immediately.

I turned around, noticing that the second elf was dead as well. Blood Queen Lana'thel's right hand Zaen Bloodcaller had grabbed the helpless elf and had sucked all blood out of his body. He dropped the body and regarded the lifeless elf before he turned around and rushed to the nearest enemy.

I turned back to the person who had killed the first elf. I hadn't seen this person for a while but I recognized him by his face, his armour and the legendary sword he was wielding.

"Lord Fordring. It surprises me to see you here. What is going on?" I said and blocked the attack of the Forsaken rogue who had stepped out of the shadows right in front of me. His two daggers were no match for my mighty hammer. I crushed her upper body with one precise swing then I looked into the with hate-filled eyes of the female before I squashed her head with my hammer.

"It really surprised me to see you as well, Lord Menethil. I'm glad that you and the Lich Queen are still among us" he responded at the same moment where he beheaded a massive tauren.

"What do you mean?" I asked surprised. I was really confused about what was going on. We had arrived in the middle of a battle out of nowhere. The only logical explanation was that the bright light had brought us to another reality where the time was passing differently than on Azeroth. We had been there for a few hours but it could be possible that weeks or even months had passed on Azeroth meanwhile. I was asking myself as well why the Scourge and the Alliance were fighting against the Horde.

"You and the Lich Queen disappeared on the day of the meeting with Warchief Thrall. We had feared that they had captured you or killed you"

"As you can see, we are not dead. Not really dead at least. When did we disappear and what happened since then?"

"You disappeared three months ago. The Warchief of the Horde has been attacked by a few undead creatures. Even though they didn't belong to us, the Horde is still blaming the Alliance for having lured the Warchief and his advisors into a trap. They managed to get away but then they declared war on us and the Alliance"

"Was there no way to prevent a war between the factions?" I asked as I killed another forsaken.

"Sadly, not. The Banshee Queen's twisted words were enough to convince the Warchief that the Alliance is the real enemy for all live on Azeroth" told Tirion and thrust the corrupted Ashbringer in the chest of a large orc. He pulled it out and beheaded the warrior before he could do something.

"Where are we?" I asked and checked the surroundings once again. I spotted corpses of fallen soldiers which were reanimated by Scourge and Forsaken necromancers. Except for the outlines of a forest on the horizon, I saw nothing which could help me to find out where we were.

"We are in the east of Stormwind. The Horde has invaded it two weeks ago. The battle has started a week ago and will go for a while if we won't manage to slain the Banshee Queen's necromancers" he responded.

"Where is Sylvanas?" I asked and looked around, trying to find her in the mass of soldiers.

"I don't know. I have seen her two days ago fighting on the Horde's east front. Unfortunately, too many Horde soldiers had been in my way. I would have fought against her if she wouldn't have been so well-protected"

I looked around once again, spotting Jaina who was returning with Vereesa. She had wrapped her arms around the elf's shoulders and waist and supported her so that she was able to walk. I rushed to them and bashed my hammer against the torso of the orc who had tried to attack them from behind. A loud and painful cry escaped the warrior's mouth when my hammer broke his rips. I ended the orc's life quickly and wrapped a golden barrier around Jaina and Vereesa, making sure that they were well protected.

I didn't hesitate and walked to Vereesa who had been placed on the ground by Jaina. I bent down and placed my hands on the wound on her hip. I closed my eyes and began to heal the wound with the help of the light. I treated her other wound as well after I had pulled the arrow out. I helped her stand up and regarded her from head to toe. I regarded Jaina as well and relaxed when I noticed that she was uninjured.

"Where is Velonara?" I asked.

"She moved back after I killed her companions and blocked each of her arrows and dark magic spells. She could be anywhere but I assume that she has returned to her beloved whore" responded Jaina.

"Hey, that's still my sister we are talking about" exclaimed Vereesa. The face she was making told us that she was not pleased about how we were calling her sister.

"Your 'sister' doesn't shrink back from killing you. Velonara could have captured you but instead, she tried to kill you. The sister you have known is gone. What is left is the shadow of a once-admired woman who has only one thing in her mind - Vengeance" spoke Jaina and stared into Vereesa's eyes.

"But..." she started but was interrupted by the loud cry of an orc. Jaina turned around and created a sharp and very large ice lance. She threw the lance at the incoming orc, killing him only with this spell.

"We don't have the time for a discussion"

"So, what do we do?" I asked and stepped next to her.

She made a thoughtful face for a few moments. "We have to win the battle and force the Horde to retreat. Maybe we can even get the Banshee Queen and eliminate the biggest threat"

"We can try to capture her and then try to negotiate with the Horde. Maybe we can establish peace again"

Vereesa looked at me and made a sad face. "I think it's too late for that. The Horde doesn't trust us anymore. Not after Thrall has been attacked by undead creatures. They believe that these assassins were members of the Scourge and that the Alliance has ordered them to kill the Warchief. There is no way that the Horde will ever work with us again and listen to us"

I frowned. "So, what do we do?"

"Defeat the Banshee Queen" responded Jaina.

"Sylvanas doesn't need to die" spoke Vereesa, making a sad face.

"Don't worry, we only want to capture her" responded Jaina and stroked her back softly. "Come on, we have to win a battle"


	37. Raging War

Jaina took both wands in her hands and turned towards the nearest group of Horde soldiers which were fighting against a group of humans, dwarves and skeletons. She muttered a few words and created dozens of sharp ice-splinters which rained down onto the enemies and wounded them. I didn't hesitate and rushed to them as well, defending the soldiers of the Alliance which were outnumbered by the Horde soldiers.

My first hammer swing brought down a forsaken warrior. My second swing hit a massive orc in the chest, causing him to stagger backwards. My third swing squashed the head of a troll who had tried to attack me from behind. Meanwhile, Jaina cast spell after a spell and killed two orc shamans and their earth elementals. The last remaining soldier of the group, a troll druid, was taken down by a precise headshot from Vereesa.

There was no other enemy in our near so we decided to walk to the west front where a few dozen Alliance soldiers and about eighty minions of the Scourge were battling against two hundred Horde soldiers. I also spotted three val'kyries which were protected by a powerful barrier. They were busy raising the fallen soldiers which weren't burned by the mages or shamans.

I even saw a massive flesh titan which was walking around and squashed the sons and daughters of the Horde with its massive feet. I assumed that the flesh titan was at least two hundred and sixty feet tall. It was clearly visible that it was stitched together out of different bodies parts. Jaina had told me that hundreds of bodies were used to create such a creature.

At this moment, the flesh titan lifted one of Sylvanas' smaller abominations in the air and regarded it with its green glowing eyes. It opened its jaw and shoved the abomination in its mouth. The loud screams of the abomination were barely hearable when it was squashed by the titan's massive iron jaw.

I shifted my gaze away from the titan to our opponents. There were lots of tauren and orcs on the front line while most of the trolls, blood elves and goblins were standing in a large distance behind them and were shooting arrows, throwing bombs or casting spells. These missiles were very effective against the grouped-up soldiers of the Alliance.

A throwing bomb exploded a few feet to my left. Only one of the three soldiers survived but was heavily injured. He had lost one of his legs, which meant that his chance of survival was pretty low. He was hit by an arrow a few moments later which pierced through his chest and heart, killing him immediately. A few seconds passed and the freshly killed soldiers started to move again after they had been raised by one of the three val'kyries.

I turned my head a little, noticing that Jaina was igniting forsaken necromancers with small fireballs. Tirion, on the other hand, had paved a way through the mass of fighting soldiers and approached a person who seemed to be the commander of the Horde forces on the west front.

This person was wearing dark armour which covered his entire body. Not even his eyes were visible through the slits in his helmet which was decorated with massive spikes. His entire upper body armour was spiked, especially his shoulder plates. He was carrying a massive mace which was spiked as well. Red and black blood stuck on his weapon, same counted for his armour.

I had never heard of a commander of the Horde who looked like this. Nor had I heard of a mighty fighter with such a huge mace. Maybe it was one of the Banshee Queen's new allies. I knew that Sylvanas was capable of a lot. Who knows where she had searched to find new allies. Who knows what she had said and done to get new allies. Otherwise, I had no explanation where this warrior came from.

I observed the warrior out of the corner of my eyes while I was fighting against warriors of the Horde. I had no problem with those who approached me nor did it seem that the mysterious warrior had problems dealing with the soldiers of the Alliance. One mace swing was enough to throw four soldiers away. One mace swing was enough to squash the head of an abomination. Even the nerubians, varguls and vrykuls didn't hold long against him. Each member of these races fell after one or two swings.

The flesh titan turned around and charged towards the unknown commander. He bent down and tried to pick up the knight in dark armour. But the unknown knight dodged his attempt, jumped on the titan's hand and started to climb up his arm. Dozens of night elf archers tried to hit him with their arrows but he created a pitch-black barrier around him which protected him against all arrows. He made a large leap and landed on the flesh titan's left shoulder.

Suddenly, blue flames appeared out of nowhere and wrapped around the mace. The knight didn't hesitate and began to pound on the titan's head. Loud screams escaped the flesh titan's jaw whenever the mace hit him. The flesh titan shook its upper body, especially his shoulders and tried to knock the commander off. Unfortunately for the titan, the unknown knight managed to stay on it and hit it over and over again.

The flesh titan's screams became much louder and shriller when its head caught fire. The titan tried to knock the mysterious knight away with his hands. Jaina and other mages tried to knock him off with arcane blasts. Even shamans tried to hit him with strong gusts of winds but the knight managed to stay on the titan's shoulder.

The mysterious knight jumped on top of the flesh titan's head, lifting his mace above his head. He executed his swing and destroyed the skullcap of the titan. Then he jumped and landed next to the flesh titan which entire body had caught fire. He ran away and managed to avoid getting hit by the falling flesh titan which landed on the ground and squashed at least twenty soldiers from both sides under its massive weight.

I didn't need to look twice to find out that the titan was truly dead. Jaina and other necromancers tried to extinguish the flames because they wanted to raise him again but they didn't manage to stop the body from burning. The body burned down faster than everyone had expected, leaving nothing but ashes behind.

I saw out of the corner of my eyes that the soldiers of the Alliance were heavily impressed by the strength of the unknown knight. Most of the nearest undead creatures were ghouls or skeletons, meaning that they had no working brain so they weren't able to show reactions. But those who had an intact brain like the necromancers were having mixed expressions on their faces. Some of them were only surprised. Some of them made shocked faces and a few were even terrified about the knight.

But their fear didn't stop them from fighting, nor did my surprise stop me. I had fought the entire time and slain at least twelve forsaken soldiers and three orcs, while the enemy commander had taken out the flesh titan.

We kept fighting and gave our best but it was not enough to best the enemy commander and his forces which were still outnumbering us. It wouldn't have been a problem for us to deal with the Horde forces but their commander killed too many of our soldiers in a short time.

We had lost half of our forces on the west front but fortunately, reinforcements arrived at this very moment. A small group of dragons came from the east to our aid. I recognized the largest of the green dragons as Ysera the Dreamer. She was accompanied by five dragons of the Green Dragonflight which were almost as large as her. The Horde forces had no chances against the six dragons. They managed to hurt one of these dragons but they got roasted in return.

The Horde forces retreated even though their commander was screaming at them, insulting them as cowards and weaklings. They ignored his angry shouts and fled from the battlefield. Only the orcs remained because of their honour codex. For them retreating was not honourable. They either got burned by the dragons or they died by Jaina's, mine or the hands of the other members of the Alliance.

The unknown knight cursed and snapped with his fingers. A hearthstone appeared in the palm of his hand. I knew immediately that he wanted to retreat as well.

I turned my head to the direction from which the loud war cry came. I saw that Tirion charged at the knight, Ashbringer was raised above his head for the finishing strike. The unknown knight turned his head a little and regarded the Scourge commander. He sidestepped the attack with ease and countered it, hitting Tirion in the chest with his mace. A loud painful cry escaped Tirion's lips as he staggered backwards and landed on the ground when he was hit again.

I charged forward, trying to reach Tirion before it was too late. Unfortunately, it was too late. The knight executed another strike which caused that Fordring's chest burst. A last scream escaped the death knight's lips before the blue glow disappeared out of his eyes. His body became limp eventually.

An angry cry escaped my lips when I approached the knight and prepared a strike with my massive hammer. But the knight disappeared by using the hearthstone before I was able to hit him. I bent down and lifted Tirion's upper body up, regarding his broken form.

"The wound in his torso looks bad but fixable" spoke Jaina and bent down next to me, holding her hands right over his chest. Her hands started to glow bluish. The blue glowing stopped when I grabbed both her hands and placed them in mine. She was regarding me with a frown and a raised eyebrow, giving me a questionable look.

I answered her unspoken question immediately. "Don't raise him, honey. He deserves his final rest. I'm pretty sure that he didn't enjoy living as an undeath. I think he has always hoped for salvation. He deserves to rest finally"

"But..." Jaina spoke but I silenced her by capturing her lips in a passionate kiss. She blinked a few times when she pulled away from that quick but awesome kiss, giving me a confused look. She stood up and looked at the persons who approached us at this very moment. Vereesa and Ysera in her humanoid form came to us and regarded Tiron's lifeless body.

"Arthas is right" spoke Ysera. "I didn't know this human very well but pretty I'm sure that he doesn't want to continue to suffer. He has fought the Scourge for over a decade. It makes sense that he hadn't really enjoyed serving them.

"She is right, Jaina" I responded and wrapped my arm around her shoulders. She rested her head on my shoulder and stared at Tirion's body. It was unmistakable that she was grieving. I knew that Tirion was a good friend for her. Together they had fought the Scourge in Northrend for a long time. It was only understandable that she was grieving at this very moment. I held her close and caressed her back and the back of her head softly while she kept staring at the corpse.

"We should bury him after the battle" spoke Jaina.

"Yes, we should do that" spoke Vereesa and stepped closer to Jaina pulling her in a comforting hug. Ysera bent down and regarded the corrupted Ashbringer which laid next to Tirion's corpse. She pointed at it and asked, "What do we do with this?"

"Someone has to wield it" responded Vereesa and turned her head, looking at me.

I made a surprised face and looked at the legendary sword for a few moments before I looked at Vereesa again. I pointed at my chest. "Me? Are you sure?"

Vereesa nodded. Ysera nodded as well and said "Indeed, that would be the best choice. The original Ashbringer was a weapon wielded by a worthy paladin. You were first a paladin, then you became a death knight and years later a paladin again. You would be able to wield the corrupted and the non-corrupted Ashbringer which makes you the perfect carrier"

"So, I'm allowed to pick up this sword, right?"

"Yes, you are" spoke Jaina and gave me a convincing smile. I nodded and released her. I bent down and picked up the sword. My skin began to tingle when I held the sword in my hands. My hands started shaking first, then the rest of my body began to shake slightly as an unknown power rushed through it. It was so intense that I had to close my eyes to bear what was going on in my body. The power spread out until it reached every corner of my body. I waited a few minutes until my skin had stopped to tingle and my body had stopped shaking.

I opened my eyes and regarded the massive sword which glowed goldenly. It was unmistakable that it was not corrupted anymore, instead, it was blessed by the holy light. The symbol of corruption - the skull with green glowing eyes - was replaced by a golden disc in which a symbol in form of a hand was carved in. This symbol belonged to the blade's decoration.

I swung the sword a few times, testing how it lied in my hand. It had to say that I hadn't expected that it would be so light. It was a huge sword so I had expected that I would need both hands to swing it. But I was able to hold it one hand while my other would be able to hold Light's Vengeance. I knew I would need a lot of practice with this sword before I could consider using it and Light's Vengeance at the same time.

"It seems that Ashbringer has accepted you as its new worthy wielder" spoke Ysera and smiled at me.

"I still can't believe it, to be honest"

"The light has already forgiven you for the events of the past. It has returned to you and allows you to use it. Now, it signalizes you that it trusts you more than ever. That's a good sign" spoke Jaina and stepped closer to me. She stepped on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss on my cheek, giving me a wide smile when she pulled back.

"I guess you are right" I responded. I looked at her for a few moments before I looked at the persons around Jaina and me. Blood Queen Lana'thel and Zaen stood to our right while Vereesa and Ysera stood to our left. "What do we do now?"

"We bring his corpse to Light's Hope Chapel then we should assist the other Alliance forces on the north and south front" suggested Ysera.

"We should do that" responded Jaina and created a portal. Two alliance soldiers put Tirion's body on a stretcher and brought him through the portal.

"It seems that we have to split up now and go to the remaining fronts" said Vereesa.

"We have to decide who goes to the north front and who goes to the south front" I responded and put my arm around Jaina, signalizing everyone that I wouldn't go without her.

"I would suggest that Jaina, Arthas and I go to the north and assist Genn Greymane there. Vereesa, Blood-Queen Lana'thel and Zaen Bloodcaller could go to the south and help King Varian" said Ysera and signalized her dragon companions to come closer. She received nods from each person she had mentioned. She nodded in return and closed her eyes.

Her entire body started to glow greenish, then its form started to change. Her neck became longer, the form of her head changed. Her hands were replaced by claws, two massive wings came out of her back which had grown in size was well. A long tail grew out of the spot above her rear. Her skin was covered by scales. Most of the scales were green, only the scales on her belly were white.

Ysera lowered her head as soon as her transformation to her dragon form was over. I put my hammer and Ashbringer on my back, then I took Jaina's hand and guided her carefully on top of the dragon's head. We sat down onto it and clung on the smaller horns on Ysera's head. Jaina cast a spell which made sure that we wouldn't fall off during the flight.

Ysera's left eye glanced in our direction as if she wanted to convince herself that we were sitting safely on her head. She gave the other members of the Green Dragonflight a quick nod before she lifted her head, stretched her back and spreading her wings. She slowly raised in the air and hovered about fifteen feet above the ground.

Ysera didn't warn us when she started to fly towards the north. I had never ridden on a dragon - Riding on Saragossa while I had been controlled by the Lich King didn't count in this case.

I had never imagined that I would ride a dragon one day. I had hoped that I could ride a dragon one day since I had been little. But I had never believed that this could happen to me. Riding a dragon felt far better than I had thought it would feel. Actually, it was pretty hard to describe what I was feeling when we glided through the air on top of this beautiful and majestic creature. I could only say that I was feeling mighty. Not many humanoid creatures had the chance to ride a dragon, so I was very lucky to count me to those who had been allowed to ride one.

I held Jaina's hand during the flight, our fingers were intertwined and she even moved on my lap after a few minutes. I wrapped my arm around her hip, pulling her closer to me. My right hand held one of Ysera's smaller horns tightly. I knew that we couldn't fall off the dragon, still, I was careful and made sure that Jaina and I were additionally secured for the case that the spell would fail.

We came to the north front after a ride of about fifteen minutes. We could already see from the top that the battle down there was raging. As we came closer, I was able to take a closer look at the fighting soldiers of both sides. I guessed that at least one thousand sons and daughters of the Horde were fighting against seven hundred soldiers of the Alliance and five hundred minions of the Scourge. Even though the Alliance and the Scourge were outnumbering the Horde, they weren't able to decimate enough of their warriors to force them to retreat.

"Undead dragons... That's so disgusting" whispered Ysera with a voice which expressed that she was not pleased to fight alongside the former members of the other dragonflights. I understood that she didn't like these Frostwyrms. She was the sister and best friend of the Dragon Queen Alexstrasza who was the Aspect of Life. It was only natural for the dragon sisters to not like anything which was not really alive. Jaina and I were exceptions because we fought voluntarily for the living and the Alliance while the members of the Scourge were only fighting for the Alliance because Jaina had ordered that.

Ysera landed at the edge of the battlefield and allowed us to get on the ground before she rose up in the air and started to burn members of the Horde with her fiery breath. I debated quickly if I should use Ashbringer or Light Vengeance for the battle. I decided to use my hammer because I was used to it and had no experience with Ashbringer.

I knew that this legendary sword was a lot stronger than my hammer. Still, I decided to only use it if it would be necessary. I decided to only use it in a dangerous situation where I would have no other choice than using it. I needed to train with the sword before I would use it as my main weapon.

Jaina and I walked to the nearest group of Alliance soldiers which consisted out of three worgen and a dwarf. The worgen were shooting arrows at the nearest enemies while the dwarf was loading his rifle and fired a shot at a large tauren. The bullet penetrated the tauren's armour with ease and left a huge flesh wound in the tauren's chest. The tauren was not dead but it was clearly visible in his face, especially in his eyes, that he was heavily in pain.

I charged forward and executed a precise swing, taking out the tauren before he was able to do something. I regarded the corpse which was raised a moment later by a lich. The lich belonged to the strongest liches I had ever seen. It was not as strong as Kel'Thuzad but at least stronger than most liches I had met.

Speaking of Kel'Thuzad, it really surprised me to see him on the battlefield. I hadn't seen him since that day where Jaina and I had found out that a demon had taken his place. Until this day, Jaina hadn't told me that she had found him, so it really surprised me to see him a few feet away from me.

Kel'Thuzad was hovering over the corpse of a human and cast a spell. I had expected that he would raise the human but instead, he created a large pillar of ice which came out of the ground and skewered two orcs and two trolls. His laughter sounded loud and evil. His blue glowing eyes reflected joy about the pain he was inflicting to others. Kel'Thuzad was a real bastard. But he was a very deadly and efficient bastard when it came to killing our enemies. I shifted my gaze away from the sadistic lich and ran towards the nearest group of Horde soldiers. I killed them quickly with the help of Jaina.

The battle was faster over than we had expected. Together with Ysera and the undead dragons we achieved a quick victory. Of course, I was happy that the battle on the north front was faster over than expected but I was also suspicious why no commander of the Horde had been there. I had expected to see Lor'themar Theron, Sylvanas or Thrall on this battlefield. But no person of importance had supported the Horde troops there.

I found out a few moments later why no one had been there. Barrels landed on the battlefield and exploded. We found out quickly that the barrels contained the blight of the Forsaken which spread out quickly and infested lots of soldiers. Not even the soldiers of the Scourge were immune against this poison. Like the living creatures of the Alliance, the infected didn't hold out very long and were carried off by the blight.

We had to react quickly. We evacuated as many people as we could before the blight spread out of the entire battlefield. A lot of people were evacuated through a portal, a large portion was carried away by gargoyles, winged beasts and dragons. Others rushed towards the south front. But we were not able to save everyone. In the end, we lost about a third of our soldiers to the blight. At least, most of them were members of the Scourge so we didn't lose too many living creatures.

We climbed on Ysera's head again, after the dragons had destroyed the catapults which had flung these barrels at us. Ysera rose in the air and flew towards the southern front. We landed in the middle of the raging battlefield and joined the massacre without hesitation. Jaina and I fought our way through the mass of enemies until we came in the near of the Horde leadership.

Sylvanas and Velonara were standing on a hill and killed Alliance soldiers and Scourge members with deadly precision. Thrall was not far away from them. He was smashing the heads of a few skeletons with Doomhammer. Even the mysterious knight was there and decimated smaller groups with only three mace swings.

I knew immediately that this final battle wouldn't be as easy as the others had been. We had the dragons and the Scourge at our side but the Horde was supported by demons.

Wait...

I blinked in surprise, rubbing my eyes with the back of my hands, hoping that I was hallucinating this. To my horror, I wasn't hallucinating this. Hundreds of smaller demons were jumping around and attacked Alliance soldiers and undead creatures which didn't belong to the Horde. I even saw a large dreadlord which was standing behind Sylvanas as if it was her companion.

He was about sixteen feet tall and had dark blue skin. He was wearing heavy armour which covered most of his body. He even wore some sort of a helmet which looked really hilarious. The dreadlord was fast for his size and very deadly. He was strong enough to kill five well-armed humans with a simple strike with his sharp claws.

I noticed that the demon was staring at me and Jaina. His staring felt unpleasant and caused that my skin tingled nervously for some reason. But that didn't stop me from charging forward and crushing the skull of the nearest orc with my hammer. That didn't stop Jaina either from casting spell after spell, killings dozens of creatures within a few minutes.

With the help of the water, frost and fire elementals, Jaina had summoned, and the soldiers which surrounded us, we managed to break through the Horde frontline and came closer to our target with each group of Horde soldiers we slew. With each inch of the battlefield we conquered, we came closer to the Horde leadership which had split up and mixed up with the other fighters. They were fighting on the sides of their people against our soldiers.

I spotted the head of Thrall poking out of a group of large orcs about two hundred yards away from me. Even from the distance, I saw that he was doing well against the minions of the Scourge. Lor'themar Theron and Baine Bloodhoof, the leader of the tauren, were fighting back to back against two human lieutenants. Saurfang and Vol'jin were not far away from Thrall. Saurfang cut humans in pieces with his axe as if their armours were made out of paper while Vol'jin pierced his spear through the upper bodies of his enemies.

I also spotted Sylvanas and Velonara who were killing their foes with precise arrows. They were standing on top of a small hill about one-hundred fifty yards away from us. The unknown knight was standing right in front of the hill's foot, protecting them from everyone who dared to approach them.

I looked around while I kept fighting against those who were approaching me. I saw that Varian and his close friend Valeera Sanguinar were in Thrall's near, meaning that they were planning on fighting him. Tyrande and Malfurion were not far away from Lor'themar and Baine. I should have known that they wanted to face the leader of the blood elves after the heavy argument during the meeting between the Horde and the Alliance. Varian had told me that there had always been bad blood between the two elven races and that the recent events hadn't made it better.

Genn Greymane and his son and daughter were in Saurfang's and Vol'jin's near. Rhonin and Vissia were floating in the backline and sending spells at Sylvanas' archers. The angry shades, on the other hand, were raging through the mass of Horde soldiers and killed as many of them as possible. The normal Horde soldiers couldn't do anything against them. Only the forsaken, the best-trained mages of the Horde, and the demonic creatures were able to injure them. A lot of shades were torn apart by fel-hounds, demonic hounds and other small but deadly creature. At least the shades didn't die without killing a lot of these demonic creatures.

Vereesa had the honour to rode on Ysera who flew across the battlefield and burned war machines like catapults or canons. Vereesa's high position allowed her to let dozens of arrows hail down onto the Horde. There was a mage standing behind her, a male worgen, who was busy creating more and more arrows for the youngest daughter of the Windrunner family. Vereesa used these enchanted arrows to bring down as many soldiers of the Horde as she could.

Jaina and I kept fighting and moved forward with each member of the Horde we slew. Sylvanas was our target. Of course, we hoped that the other leaders of the Horde will be taken captive as well so we could end this meaningless war which was probably arranged by the Burning Legion. I was pretty sure that the Burning Legion was behind all of this. Otherwise, we wouldn't have been kidnapped and sent to another planet where time passes differently. Not to mention that the Burning Legion was supporting the Horde.

Speaking of the Burning Legion. I had no clue where this strange blue-skinned demon was. I had seen him about an hour ago but now he was not there anymore. Maybe he was fighting elsewhere. He was very tall so it should be hard to overlook him. Still, I didn't see him in the mass of enemies. I was even more careful than before, knowing that he could come out of nowhere and surprise us.

I turned my head a little and looked at Jaina who had shot a large pyroblast at a group of twelve forsaken a few seconds ago. She turned her head as well, giving me a small, barely recognizable smile. Her gorgeous eyes rested on my face for a moment before they shifted to the nearest enemy. I charged forward and crushed the felhound's head with my hammer before it was able to attack Jaina.

The next demon died by another swing. The third demon who approached us made a very surprised and shocked face when a sharp ice-splinter pierced through his chest and destroyed its heart. A loud cry escaped the demon's lips before it fell backwards and dissolved.

I looked around, noticing that five demons were surrounding us - Three felhounds and two wrathguards. The felhounds snarled and showed us their bare teeth while the wrathguards regarded us with narrowed eyes as the came closer, axes raised above their heads. Fortunately for us, there were enough allies around us who would come for our aid.

Two large humans tackled the first wrathguard, causing that it landed on the ground. The second was attacked by ghouls who climbed on its body and buried their sharp teeth in its flesh. They bit and tore pieces of flesh out, causing that the demon howled out in pain.

I took advantage of this situation and charged forward, crushing the head of both demons. The felhounds didn't endure very long either. They were killed by Jaina and Kel'Thuzad before they reached us. Jaina turned her head and looked at the lich, receiving a small nod from him. He turned around and created a huge ice-sphere, shooting it in a random direction.

I noticed out of the corner of my eyes that the mysterious knight had gotten closer to us. At this very moment, he squashed the head of a nerubian with his mace. He turned around, before the nerubian's body landed on the ground, and looked in our direction. He tilted his head a little and regarded us for a few moments.

He started to walk towards us eventually, shoving those aside who dared to approach him. Most of these creatures were hit by his mace. Only a few were pushed away by him, meaning that they were spared for the moment at least. I looked at Jaina quickly, signalizing her that I will attack him. She gave me a nod but also a worried look in return. I looked at her for the last time before I turned around and headed towards the mysterious knight.

A few orcs, blood elves and tauren crossed my way but they were no match for me. I killed each of them and reached the unknown knight. He started the fight by executing a mace swing from below which I avoided by jumping to the side. He wanted to attack me again but he was hit by an arcane blast before he could hit me. The arcane blast caused him to stagger backwards and damaged his upper body armour.

He caught himself and started to walk to us, reducing the distance between us quickly. He charged at me again, this time his mace came from the right side. I wrapped a barrier around me, hoping that this would block the attack. His swing was stronger than I had expected. I wasn't able to block the attack even though the barrier was wrapped around me.

The mace swing had been so strong that I staggered backwards and fell over my own feet, landing on my back. The pain I was feeling in my upper body spread out quickly so that my entire body was hurting. I lifted my head a little, trying to get up but the pain was so immense that I was not able to get my body to move.

The unknown knight stepped over me and tilted his head as he regarded me from above. He lifted the mace slowly. Jaina's screams were drowned out by the war cries, the shoutings and other battle noises made by soldiers from both sides. There was nothing I could do at this very moment to prevent that the mace would come in contact with my head. There was no one around me who could help me.

Every soldier of the Alliance, every servant of the Scourge was busy fighting. Out of the corner of my eyes, I noticed that Jaina's spells were flying in the knight's direction but they wouldn't reach him in time to save me.

I knew it was over so I closed my eyes and remembered the good memories about Jaina I was having. I remembered the day we met, our trip to the prison camp where the orcs had been held. I remembered our first kiss and the first night we had spent in my room. I remembered the time we had spent after I had been freed from the Lich King's control. I remembered almost every day I had spent with Jaina.

I expected that the mace would hit me in the next moment. But it didn't. I didn't feel that something hit me nor did I feel any form of pain. I opened my eyes and looked around, wondering what was going on. I noticed that the combat noises around me were barely hearable. I realized that for some reason the time was passing slowly. The movements of the persons around me were very slow as if the time was passing in slow motion. I saw Chromie waving at me before she turned around and shot a blast of sand at a nearby enemy. Maybe she was responsible for this. She was a member of the Bronze Dragonflight, meaning she was capable of manipulating the time. This could make sense.

I also saw a young human who was about to get hit by a massive orc axe. I knew immediately that the axe will tear the soldier in two halves. I didn't know if I would be able to help the soldier. I didn't know how long the slow motion will endure. But I knew that I will take advantage of this situation and save my own skin. I looked back at the unknown knight, noticing that the mace was a few inches away from my head. I stepped to the side so that the mace would miss me if the slow motion's duration would run out in the next moments.

Fortunately, the slow motion continued. It lasted long enough so that I was able to pull Ashbringer from my back and thrust it through the knight's upper body. The slow-motion ran out when the legendary sword pierced through his armour and flesh and came out of the knight's back.

I was hearing the roars, shouts and other combat noises in full volume again. I heard a loud explosion not far away from me but that didn't disturb me nor did it stop me from thrusting the entire blade in the knight's chest. Blood flowed out of the grooves of the mouthguard. The blood was black as I had expected, meaning that this knight was undead. It would have surprised me if this person would have been alive because he was way too powerful for an average living being.

I pulled the sword out of the knight's chest and kicked him, sending him to the ground. He laid there for a few moments but he managed to stand up quickly. This really surprised me. Ashbringer was the strongest, by the holy light strengthened weapon I had ever seen. The sword had burned a huge hole in the knight's chest out of which a lot amount of blood was flowing out. Still, he was able to stand.

The knight tilted his head and regarded me. He put his hands on his helmet and took it off, revealing his face to me. My eyes widened when I realized to who was standing in front of me.

It was Uther the Lightbringer - Or at least the undead version of him. His skin was pale blue, his eyes glowed bluish and showed no warmth. The colour of most of his facial hair was white, only a few strands of hair remained brown.

He tilted his head and looked at me. "Well met boy. It has been a long time" he spoke and lifted his mace, walking towards me slowly.

"How is this possible?" I whispered and held Ashbringer right in front of my chest, ready to counter his attack.


	38. Confrontation

_How is this possible?_

_This cannot be real_

_There is no way..._

_There is no way that Uther is still alive..._

_Well...Not technically alive but still..._

_Jaina told me that Uther was killed when the Lich King has taken control over me. She never mentioned that he was raised as an undead..._

_But why is he fighting for Sylvanas?_

_No, she hasn't..._

_She wouldn't..._

_Would she?_

_It's Sylvanas. She would do everything to be victorious. But how did she get his corpse? As far as I know, Uther was buried in the tomb of Light's Hope Chapel. There was no way any undead creature could get inside the well-guarded building and steal his corpse. Maybe a paladin of the Horde has been ordered to get the corpse..._

_Maybe...Her new demon friends helped her..._

How she had gotten the corpse didn't matter anymore. What mattered was that Uther was not truly dead anymore and fought on Sylvanas' side because she had forced him to. And I had to deal with this new situation. It was already bad enough that demons were fighting for Sylvanas. Uther was not even the tip of the iceberg. It couldn't get any worse, couldn't it?

Hopefully, it wouldn't get worse. It was already strange enough for me to face my old mentor who was looking at me, fury and hatred were reflected by his blue glowing eyes.

He ignored the huge hole in his chest and walked towards me. I stood still like a wax statue because for some reason I was not able to move. I just kept looking at him, completely ignoring the battle around me. A Sin'dorei rogue approached me but I didn't do anything. I just stood there and looked at Uther who was getting closer to me.

I barely heard the shouts from Jaina. I turned my head and looked at Jaina who was sprinting towards me, panic written all over her face. It was unmistakable that she was afraid to lose me. I wish I could do something. I wish I could turn around and knock the rogue away but my body felt like it was turned to stone. I wasn't able to move my arms and legs. Only my head.

Fortunately for me, Jaina approached me before the rogue. She pushed me away, causing that I was not hit by the rogue's attack as I fell and landed on the ground. Jaina blocked the rogue's next attack with her two wands. She pushed the rogue away, causing him to stagger backward.

She attacked him with her two wands. One hit him in the stomach while the other hit him on the head. A pained cry escaped the man's lips when she hit his head again. It really impressed me how Jaina managed to knock the man out by only using her wands. She didn't even need to use her spells.

She created a barrier around me and helped me up. She looked at me, worry written all over her face while she checked me for injuries. She started to whisper calming words to me. After a few moments, I felt the strength in my limbs again and my head stopped hurting.

"Are you okay, honey?" asked Jaina, putting her hands on my cheeks.

I gave her a nod. "I don't know what was going on with me... For some reason, I was too shocked to move. I'm sorry"

"It's okay, Arthas. It was a shock to for me as well to see Uther. It's pure insolence that Sylvanas has raided his tomb and raised him" she spoke and caressed my cheeks.

"She will pay for sullying his name and bringing him back only to hurt us"

"Are you love-birds finally ready or do you want to continue to kiss and cuddle while hiding behind this barrier like cowards?" asked Uther and regarded us with narrowed eyes. His voice sounded a lot deeper than it had done in life. It sounded strange and didn't reflect any positive emotion. His face didn't reflect the kindness and compassion it once had.

This person was different. He looked like Uther the Lightbringer but he didn't behave like Uther. He was a completely different person. Not the Uther I had once known and admired. He was a servant of the Banshee Queen and I will do everything to release him from the torture of serving this crazy woman.

I turned my attention to him. I bent down to put Light's Vengeance on my back and pick Ashbringer up. I didn't stop looking at him while I was doing that. He tilted his head and raised an eyebrow when I moved to the border of the barrier. I faced him, staring directly in his ice-cold blue eyes. He returned my staring but didn't say anything.

I held my gaze "I can't believe that she raised you"

"I can't believe that you murdered me" he responded dryly.

"It was not him who did this. It was the Lich King who forced him to" spoke Jaina and approached me, putting her hand on my right shoulder.

"Keep spreading your lies" spoke Uther with his monotonous voice.

"We are not lying" hissed Jaina and stepped closer to the barrier, regarding him with narrowed eyes.

Uther's laughter was deep and echoed. "Keep saying that to yourself to make you feel better. The truth is that all your lies can't cover what really happened"

I turned my head and looked at Jaina, noticing that she was making an angry look and bit her bottom lip. "Don't take it to your heart. He only says that to provoke us. He is not the man anymore we had known once.

Jaina was silent for a few moments and stared at Uther. She turned her head and looked up at me, regarding me closely. "You are right, my love. This man is only one of Sylvanas' many tools. She uses him to distract us. We can't allow getting distracted. Not in this battle and not in general"

I nodded and looked back at Uther. "Don't worry, old friend. We will release you from the Banshee Queen's control and put you back to rest. You deserve that. I won't allow that you serve the mad queen any longer"

"The only one who deserves to be taken down is you, Arthas. For all what you have done to Lordaeron, Quel'Thalas and the entire world in general"

I shook my head and closed my eyes. I looked at Jaina when I opened them, signalizing her that I was ready to fight Uther. She nodded in return and muttered a few words. The barrier around us started to dissolve slowly. I held Ashbringer in both hands while Jaina prepared a spell.

Uther whirled his mace around him, hitting two human rogues who had tried to attack him from behind. He didn't hesitate and charged at me when the barrier was dissolved completely. I blocked his attack and pushed him away. He roared out and charged at me again, trying to hit me with his mace. I didn't try to dodge his attack. Instead, I blocked it with Ashbringer. Steel clashed against steel as the two weapons met. We swung our weapons again, clashing them against each other another time.

I focused all of my power in this next swing, hoping that I would be able to defeat Uther. It hurt me to know that he had to serve Sylvanas who only used him to make me unsure. I didn't hit his body but I managed to destroy his mace. The mace shattered in millions of little pieces which landed on the muddy ground. Uther's face was a mask of shock as stared at the remains of his weapon. It was unmistakable that he had never believed that I would be able to destroy his weapon.

He was defenceless without his weapon, making him vulnerable for Jaina's spells and my attacks. An arcane blast hit him in the chest and a frostbolt froze his feet to the ground.

I approached him quickly and rammed the tip of Ashbringer in the belly of my former friend and mentor. The pained cries of the death knight became louder as I pushed Ashbringer further in his undead body. The holy light rushed through his body and hurt him really badly.

A last scream escaped his lips before the blue glowing disappeared out of his eyes and every sign of life vanished. His body collapsed and fell to the ground as I pulled Ashbringer out. I regarded his corpse fora short moment before I turned around and beheaded an orc who had tried to attack me from behind.

I turned back to Uther's corpse and regarded it closely. "Farewell, old friend" I muttered.

"Farewell" muttered Jaina and created a barrier around us and two paladins of the Silver Hand. The paladins lifted his corpse up and walked with it through the portal Jaina had created a moment ago.

The battle was still raging around us. Soldiers fought. Steel clashed against steel. Cries echoed through the air and bodies dropped to the ground.

Many soldiers stood in our way but that wouldn't stop us from capturing Sylvanas. Our priority was to capture her and win the battle.

I looked around, noticing that a lot of soldiers had been fallen while we had been busy fighting Uther. Most of the fallen had been raised by necromancers of the Scourge or of the Burning Legion. It was a real wonder that no side had been able to kill the necromancers of the other. This meant that more and more creatures were brought back, so the battle could endure for eternities.

I knew that we had to take down as many necromancers as we could if we wanted to end this battle as soon as possible. I checked my surroundings from time to time when I was not busy fighting against demons or sons and daughters of the Horde. I spotted three necromancers of the Burning Legion in our near.

I got closer to the necromancers with each warrior of the Horde I slew. With each allied soldier I protected. I approached the first necromancer after I had fought for at least an hour. The necromancer was a female night elf which eyes were glowing green and which face was decorated by green glowing tattoos. She was casting various spells, throwing fireballs and ice-lances at me. But the golden barrier around my body protected me, causing that I remained uninjured.

The night elf fell quickly. The green glowing disappeared out of her eyes when her body became limp. At least she was not forced to serve the Burning Legion anymore. The second necromancer was taken out by Zaen while the third died after he had been hit by a combination of Jaina's deadliest spells.

In the following days, we managed to eliminate half of the Horde army. We had achieved that while only losing a third of our own forces. The Legion's necromancers had been defeated as well. Nathanos Blightcaller, one of Sylvanas' most trusted advisors, had been mortally wounded by Varian. He had not been killed but he was taken as a prisoner and brought to Stormwind City through a portal.

Tyrande, Malfurion and their adoptive daughter Shandris had defeated the leader of the blood elves. He was captured as well but he was brought to Ironforge instead of Stormwind City. The other Horde leaders were still around on the battlefield and fought against our forces. Genn Greymane had lost his left eye and Vereesa had been hit by one of her sister's arrows. Other than these cases, nobody had been seriously harmed. Currently, Vereesa and Genn were treated in the military hospital. Meanwhile, we still fought against the Horde and tried to surround them slowly.

The area of the battlefield which was occupied by the Horde had shrunken heavily. We had pushed them back to the east corner of Stormwind. Our plan was to surround them so that they wouldn't be able to flee. The battle was far from over but it was looking good for us. Very good for us.

I turned around when I heard the very loud footsteps of a tauren. It was a male and he was larger than most of the tauren I had ever met. He held a massive axe in both hands. His face and his chest were covered with war paint. He was very muscular, still, his brute strength was not enough to win against me and Ashbringer. The duel lasted longer than I had expected. He caused me a few troubles but, in the end, I won when I separated his head with a precise swing. His body dropped onto the ground and landed next to his head.

Kel'Thuzad appeared to my left and regarded the dead tauren with a scornful smile. The tauren's head and body were lifted in the air as Kel'Thuzad raised his left hand and muttered a few words. The spell he cast caused that the head was attached to the body, then he was brought back as an undead loyal servant of the Scourge.

"This one will be pretty useful" whispered Kel'Thuzad and flew away. I shook my head slightly and checked my surroundings, spotting Sylvanas Windrunner not far away from me. I guessed that the distance between us was two hundred yards at the most. But between us were dozens of soldiers from both sides which were fighting against each other.

I knew that Sylvanas didn't care about the lives of the other Horde members, so the chance that she would shoot volleys of arrows at me, even though her allies were standing between us, was pretty high. That meant that I had to reach her before she would spot me and try to kill me.

I bundled the power of the light, which was running through my body, and created a barrier around me. I sensed that this barrier was stronger than the average barriers I created usually. I was hoping that this barrier would protect me from enough arrows so that I would be able to reach Sylvanas without getting hit by a single arrow.

I looked over my right shoulder to check if Jaina was still in my near. Indeed, she was. She was surrounded by five mages of the Kirin Tor which had created a purple barrier to protect her. Together they were working on some sort of a spell. I didn't know what they were casting but I assumed it was something big because it required the time and power of six talented mages.

I looked at Jaina for the last time before I began to pave my way through the masses of soldiers. I fought one or two Horde soldiers here and there but other than that I got closer to Sylvanas without any incidents. Of course, Sylvanas had noticed me when I had left half of the distance behind me.

Together with Velonara and five other dark rangers she sent volleys of arrows at me. But my barrier was strong enough to block any arrow which would have hit me. I was glad that the light had found me a year ago and had put its trust in me again. I didn't want to imagine what would have happened if the light wouldn't have protected me during this long-lasting battle.

I came to the foot of the small hill on which Sylvanas and Velonara were standing. They were regarding me with narrowed, crimson red eyes which reflected nothing but hatred. I returned their starring, not showing any emotion.

Sylvanas pulled another arrow from her quiver, aiming at my head. The barrier dissolved at this very moment, leaving me unprotected. I knew that I had to be careful. A precise arrow could be my demise. I knew that Sylvanas was a very talented archer not to mention that she was capable of using dark magic. Fortunately, I wouldn't face her alone.

The ground beneath Sylvanas' dark rangers split. The head of a familiar nerubian came out of the hole which had been created a moment ago. The soil was shoved away when the massive body of the nerubian broke through the ground. The creature was no other than Anub'arak, the leader of the undead nerubians. His purple armoured body was larger than I remembered.

He looked like a gigantic undead bug with four legs and two massive claws. It was unmistakable that the dark rangers were not pleased to see him. On the opposite, they were afraid of him.

One of the dark rangers was not fast enough and got squashed by one of Anub'arak's forelegs while the head of another was bitten off. A third one was skewered by the massive horn on Anub'arak's forehead. Evil laughter came out of his massive jaw when he stepped on another dark ranger. He rushed to Velonara and tried to hit her. But the undead elf jumped away and avoided getting cut in two halves by his left claw at the last moment.

Sylvanas called out for aid as she aimed at me again and shot an arrow. Even though I made a sidestep, I didn't manage to avoid the arrow. It hit me in the left shoulder but didn't penetrate my armour. My gaze rested on Sylvanas while I ran towards her. She didn't screw up her face as she saw me coming closer. Her crimson eyes kept staring at me when she pulled out another arrow out of her quiver. She shot the arrow, the distance between us was smaller than fifteen feet so I had almost no time to react.

This arrow would have hit me in the neck if a ghoul wouldn't have jumped right in front of me at the last moment. The ghoul was hit by the arrow but was not killed. It landed on the ground and managed to get up very quickly. It jumped at Sylvanas but she drew her dagger from her belt and separated the ghoul's head from its body at the same moment as she dodged his attack. Head and body of the horrible creature landed on the ground.

She crushed the ghouls head with her boot and looked at me, tilting her head a little. I stood six feet away from her, holding Ashbringer's grip tightly. I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Velonara was standing behind me at the same distance. I was surrounded by two women who hated me more than anything else.

They nocked their arrows and pointed their tips at me. "I have waited so long for this moment" said Sylvanas, the corners of her lips formed a small smile.

"Finally, we can have our vengeance for what you have done to us and our people. You will pay for the many lives you have stolen, bastard" spat Velonara out, hatred was clearly hearable in her low voice.

"I thought you wanted to torture me and give me a long and painful death" I responded calmly and tilted my head, giving her a mocking grin.

"That was our original plan but this plan has turned out to be impossible because the Alliance keeps hiding you in their fortress. But now, no one is in your near to save you. Now we can finally give you what you deserve. Do you have any last words?" asked Sylvanas and gave a triumphing grin.

"It's funny that you forget what happens around you as soon as vengeance comes within your grasp. You have forgotten that a massive nerubian is in your near and ravaging your forces" I spoke calmly, the corners of my lips formed a small smile when Sylvanas' eyes widened as heard Anub'arak's loud roars.

Sylvanas let loose of her arrow before she made a roll and duck beneath Anub'arak's claw which narrowly missed her. She stood up and jumped away at the last moment, avoiding getting trampled by his massive right foreleg.

Large crypt lords came out of the hole in the ground and joined the battle. These bug-like creatures looked similar to Anub'arak but were only half of his size. They moved faster than expected and squashed the five forsaken dreadguards, which had come to aid their queen, with their heavy bodies.

Sylvanas cursed loudly and shot an arrow at me. One of the crypt lords stepped in front of me and blocked it with its armoured body. Sylvanas snarled and looked around while she was increasing the distance between her and the leader of the nerubians.

I turned around and looked at Velonara who ran away from a large group of skeletons which was chasing her. The skeletons even tore bones out of their bodies and threw them after the dark ranger. One large bone hit her on the head but she didn't stop running while she was shooting unprecise arrows at her pursuers. Only half of these arrows hit the skeletons and killed a few of them. The loss of a few members didn't stop the group from chasing her.

I noticed out of the corner of my eyes that a forsaken warrior came closer to me. I turned around and beheaded the creature before it was able to harm me. I turned back to Sylvanas when I heard the loud cry of a crypt lord. It seemed that Sylvanas had managed to take out one of these big undead bugs. Her eyes were black and a similar coloured aura was wrapped around her hands. It was obvious that she had used dark magic to take down this massive thing. She looked very exhausted, meaning that the spell had cost her a lot of strength and power.

She yelled something in a language I didn't understand. Velonara shouted something back, which I could only assume was in the same language. Suddenly, Sylvanas pulled an object out of her belt pocket. It was a hearthstone. She gave me one last hateful look before she brushed her thumb over the stone and disappeared. I turned around and looked at Velonara who disappeared as well at this very moment.

I looked at the soldiers of the Horde which had been in the Banshee Queen's near. It was hard to miss that they were feeling insecure that one of their leaders had fled from the battlefield. Their faces, especially their eyes, showed that they felt betrayed.

Panic broke out as they noticed that they were surrounded. Some of them even turned around and tried to flee but they didn't get very far because they were brought down by the soldiers of the Alliance and the servants of the Scourge.

I spotted the Warchief who was fighting alongside Saurfang and Vol'jin against the superior armies of the Alliance and the Scourge. I heard shouts from a commander of the Alliance who ordered his soldiers to surround them. But before they could do that, the blue-skinned demon appeared out of nowhere and stepped behind the Warchief and his companions. He put three of his four hands on the shoulder of the three Horde leaders and disappeared with them the next moment.

I returned to Jaina and helped her defeating the remaining Horde warriors in our near. The battle didn't last very long. The remaining Horde soldiers were either killed or captured. All demons which remained were killed without hesitation. Except for Lor'themar, who had been taken as prisoner earlier, we didn't capture any leader of the Horde. They all managed to escape somehow.

I returned to the military base with Jaina and went to the largest tent. Varian arrived as well at the same moment and greeted us. He appeared a bit pale and a fresh scar ran from his left ear to his chin but other than that he was uninjured.

"Jaina, Arthas. It's good to see your faces after this long-lasting and exhausting battle. I can't believe we have won this. Also, I can't believe that the Horde is cooperating with the Burning Legion"

Tyrande came out of the tent and stepped next to Varian. "The war is not over but it's important that we have won the battle with the help of the Scourge. Even though I still don't like that they are raising the dead, I'm glad that they are on our side. We would have lost a lot more soldiers if they wouldn't have supported us. Still, I'm not a big fan of working with them"

"I can understand you Tyrande. I'm not pleased about our cooperation with them either but they have numerous servants who were very useful during the battle. I'm pretty sure that we will need their help in future battles" spoke Jaina and put her hand on her friend's back.

"How does our plan look like in general? Do we destroy the Horde or do we destroy the Legion and free the Horde? Will you try to make peace with the Horde again?" I asked and looked at the thoughtful faces of the others.

"I don't know, to be honest. We should get rid of the Legion and then we shall see if we can save the Horde or not. After all, there are living innocent people in their cities. Women, children and older people. We cannot purge the entire Horde nor can we push the innocent into slavery or take them as prisoners. We have to find a solution" responded Varian.

Tyrande was the next person to respond. "What if we can't defeat the Legion without defeating the Horde as well?"

"I have no clue, Tyrande" said Varian and made a thoughtful face.

"Why are they cooperating with the Legion anyways? The orcs already know how it is to be the Legion's slaves. I can't believe that they have sold their lives to them again" I spoke.

"Maybe they made a pact where both sides are equal" spoke Jaina and made a small pause. "I don't think that Thrall makes the same mistakes Grommash Hellscream made"

I looked at Jaina as I formulated my next question. "But why do they work with them? They also know that the Legion wants to conquer our world and extinguish all live"

"I wish I knew that" said Jaina quietly and caressed the back of my hand. "Maybe they are hoping that they can use the Legion to win the war against us. Maybe they want to betray them later and prevent that they will be able to conquer Azeroth. Who knows what is going on in Thrall's mind"

"I will talk with Genn and Magni about this. You can join us too, Tyrande. Same counts for you two" said Varian and looked at Jaina and me.

Jaina looked at me for a short moment before she looked back at Varian. "Normally, we would but I think you are capable of making the right decisions without us. This battle has really exhausted us even though we are undead. We need some rest. Also, I want to look after Vereesa and her wounds. I hope that is okay for you"

"It's okay, Jaina. It was just an offering. Anyways, we will see you soon then" responded Varian. He made a step forward and hugged her. She turned the hug, then she hugged Tyrande who stroke her back softly.

"See you soon, dear friends" spoke Jaina and waved at them. I said goodbye as well and followed her as she took my hand and started to walk towards the military hospital.

"So, we will visit Vereesa right now?" I asked.

"Yes, we will"

* * *

I stepped out of the bathroom and checked my surroundings. My lips formed a smile when my eyes spotted the blond man lying on the king-sized bed. He was wearing nothing except for his blue pants. His head rested on a stack of pillows as he was holding a book in his hand.

I regarded him for a few moments before I walked slowly to the bed without making any noise. I sat down and crawled forward, still not making any sound. Arthas was too busy reading his book that he wouldn't see it coming.

I crawled forward until I reached his waistline. I regarded him once again before I took the book out of his hands and threw it away. He gave me a surprised look and tilted his head, observing me curiously. I lowered my upper body until it came in contact with his. I laid down on him and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling myself closer to him.

He returned my smile and put his hand on my left cheek, caressing it slowly. "You are much better to look at than endless lines of text"

I giggled. "Thank you, Arthas". I closed my eyes and pressed my cheek against his soft hand.

"How is Vereesa doing?" he asked and put his hand under my chin.

"Much better than the last time we have seen her. Her wounds have been healed completely and the doctors have allowed her to leave the hospital. She is now with her children and her husband"

"That's good to hear" he said quietly and brought my head closer to his. He leaned in and captured my lips. I returned the kiss immediately and brushed my tongue over his lips. I bit his bottom lip softly, forcing him to part his lips. I didn't hesitate and invaded his mouth with my tongue. My warm tongue brushed over his cold tongue and started to explore every reachable spot of his mouth.

He put one hand on the back of my hand while his other hand kept stroking my cheek. Meanwhile, my hands began to loosen the threads which kept my corset laced up. I sat up a little but didn't break the connection of our lips. Arthas' hands didn't hesitate and helped me removing the tight corset. I flung the piece of sexy underwear away and broke the kiss, stretching my back as I sat upright on Arthas' waist. I allowed Arthas to ogle my exposed upper body. His eyes hung on my large breasts which were finally free from the tight piece of clothing.

He put his hands on my hips and caressed them softly. His hands moved upwards eventually and stopped at my breasts. My smile became wider when he started to squeeze them. His thumbs brushed over my nipples, causing that excitement started to build up in me, especially between my legs. He took my nipples between the tips of two fingers of each hand, kneading them a little. His smile became much wider when moans escaped my lips.

I lowered my upper body and attached my lips to his. I had to admit that feeling his ice-cold lips against my fiery warm ones felt better than expected. Feeling his cold hands on my warm breasts caused that shivers of excitement ran down my spine. Not to mention that the region between my legs was getting wetter and wetter the longer Arthas toyed with my breasts.

I forced my tongue in his mouth, fighting for dominance once again. Of course, I won and dominated his human tongue which was nothing against my skilled demon tongue.

To be honest, I was more like a succubus than a real dreadlord, even though I looked like a Nathrezim. My task was to seduce Arthas until he joins the Legion voluntarily. And I was damn good at this. There was no way that this human could resist me especially because I looked like his lover. Technically I was his lover just in a different body. I was still Jaina Proudmoore but I was working for the Burning Legion instead for the weak mortals.

I was not only doing this because Lady Rissya had ordered me to seduce Arthas Menethil. I was also doing it because I wanted to do it with this human. I didn't know why but somehow, I was feeling something for him. I didn't know what I was feeling exactly. I only knew that I wanted to protect this human for some reason. Maybe because I had loved him before the Burning Legion had made me stronger. Maybe I was still loving him. I was not sure about this. I just wanted to protect him for some reason.

The easiest way to protect him was to convince him to join us and then mark him so that neither Mal'Ganis can hurt him nor can Lady Rissya use him for her dirty fantasies. I will not allow that someone will ever lay hands on my Arthas.

I was brought back out of my thoughts when I noticed that Arthas was removing my panties slowly. I gave him a wide grin and helped him, getting rid of my panties quickly. I allowed him to regard my entire naked form before I get off his waist and sat down next to him. Waves of excitement rushed through my body when I removed his pants and looked at his large organ.

First, I pleasured him with my hands and my mouth before I skipped the rest of the foreplay and lowered myself onto him. Loud moans escaped my lips when his huge member penetrated me and hit the spot which gave me the most pleasure. We closed our eyes as the pleasure began to overwhelm us. Similar sounding noises slipped out of our mouths. These noises were enough to tell us that we were really enjoying this.

We did it for a while, not knowing how many hours we had spent making love. I stretched my back, smiling when I noticed that I was still feeling him inside me. Arthas eyes were still closed as he continued to move his hip to make me feel more pleasure. I regarded him for a few minutes then I looked down at me. I shifted my gaze to the nearest mirror and regarded my reflection. I frowned and regarded myself once again from head to toe. Something was wrong.

I frowned and cupped my breasts with my hands. Maybe I was just imaging this but somehow, they appeared larger and fuller. I had to imagine this. I didn't remember that I had made my breasts larger after I had changed my body and taken this form. I shook my head and closed my eyes again, moving my hips so that Arthas was feeling more pleasure.

I started to hum a beautiful melody which stuck in my mind for some reason. Suddenly, my skin started to tingle out of nowhere. The tingling was not unpleasant but it disturbed me a little. I ignored it and smiled when it disappeared a few minutes later.

Suddenly, Arthas' hips stopped moving. I opened my ears, wanting to know why he had stopped. I frowned as I saw his widened eyes and the surprised expression on his face. I tilted my head. "What is wrong, my love?" I asked.

But he didn't answer. He just stared at me. The surprise on his face was quickly replaced by shock. I turned my head and looked in the mirror. My jaw dropped, my eyes widened in shock when I noticed that my appearance had changed. I was not looking like the undead woman Arthas used to know. I was not looking like my former self. I was looking like a dreadlord and not like an undead humanoid being.

Arthas broke free from his stasis, shock written over his face. He lifted his upper body and tried to push me away.

"What are you doing?" I asked. My shrill sounding voice didn't help me to calm down Arthas. He managed to get me off him. I was nearly pushed from the edge of the bed but I managed to catch myself before I fell from the bed. He opened a drawer, pulled a knife out and pointed it in my direction.

His voice was loud and rough. "Who are you and what have you done with Jaina?"

I didn't answer. I just stared at him and considered what to do.

"ANWSER ME, DREADFULNESS" he roared and tried to stab me with the knife. I had expected that his words didn't matter for me but somehow it hurt me that he had called me like this and shouted at me. I didn't know what was going on with me.

He tried to stab me again but I caught his hand and forced him to drop the knife. A pained sound escaped his lips as I grabbed him by the throat and lifted him up. I looked at him, not sure what to do. He looked back at me. His eyes were narrowed and reflected disgust, hatred and anger. He spat at me but I didn't care. I pressed him against the wall and regarded him once again. He struggled to get free but I was too strong for him. My long tongue darted out and licked over his face.

"What have you done to Jaina" he cried out and gave me another hateful look. I tilted my head and frowned. He didn't care about his own life. He only cared about the life of his lover. About my life in this case. He couldn't know that I was standing right in front of him. He couldn't know that I, Jaina Proudmoore, was the dreadlord who was holding him right now. How could he? The Burning Legion had changed me in many ways.

I was not the woman anymore he had once known and I will never be that woman again. But that didn't mean that we couldn't be together. I still felt something for him. I just didn't know if it was love or just something else. I only knew that I didn't want to lose him.

"Don't worry, she is safe" I responded. A barely visible smile appeared on my lips when I noticed that his body relaxed a little. But he was still giving me that hateful look. I looked away from him and created a large portal. Arthas tried to get free once again but my grip was still too strong.

"Where are we going, demon" he hissed and spat at me. I didn't answer him. I stared at him for a few moments before I walked with him through the portal, closing it right behind me.


	39. Agony of choice

The door in front of me opened and a familiar person came out. She tilted her head and regarded me from head to toe. "How can I help you, my dear?"

"I'm here because I have a few questions, Lady Rissya"

She gave me a nod and pointed at the room's inside. "Come in, so we can talk"

"As you wish, mistress" I responded and walked through the door. My gaze rested on her as I approached the nearest chair and sat down on it. She walked around the table in front of me and sat down on a green coloured armchair which was standing behind it.

"You can ask me anything" she said and took a jug, filling two glasses with the familiar green liquid.

"You have never told me what this liquid is" I asked and pointed at the glass she had placed in front of me.

"This liquid is called Demonfire. It's a very popular drink among the intelligent demon races"

I took a sip. "It tastes very bitter"

"Bitter but delicious" responded Lady Rissya and gave me a small smile. She took her glass and emptied it in one gulp. "About your questions" she added and refilled her glass.

"Something has brought me and Arthas to a different dimension. This dimension was occupied by demons who had attacked us. I'm wondering what happened and why it happened. Why were Arthas and I brought to this place and why did these demons attack us?"

Lady Rissya made a thoughtful face and was silent for a few moments. She bit her bottom lip, regarded the glass in front of me and caressed her chin while she thought about it. "Well, I have an assumption but I'm not sure if its right"

"Tell me about it please"

"You may have noticed the demons on the side of the Horde. You need to know that there are other Nathrezim who are trying to impress Lord Sargeras. They also want to conquer Azeroth in Lord Sargeras' name but they want to do it their own way. They could support us but instead, they decided to do their own thing. They don't want to share the glory with us. They want to keep the reward - the power they get if they are successful - for their own. They want that Lord Sargeras is proud of them. But only of them and nobody else. They don't want to share. Basically, these demons are our rivals"

"Wouldn't that weaken the Burning Legion if we fight against each other? We are on a good way to achieve victory but now these demons are making things more difficult for us. Not to mention that we waste the lives of thousands of demons because of this unnecessary rivalry.

"Well, we demons cannot truly die. We will return eventually so it doesn't matter how many demons are getting killed outside the Twisting Nether. I don't really care if other demons are interfering"

"Why?" I asked, looking at her in confusion.

"Obviously, this demon wants to conquer Azeroth by supporting the Horde. He wants to achieve that the Horde will win the war and conquer all territories on Azeroth. Then he wants to manipulate the Horde leadership and force them to give Azeroth to the Legion. Our plan is to let the Horde and Alliance destroy themselves. But with the Scourge, the Alliance is stronger than the Horde. I had assumed that the Scourge would fight against both factions which would have balanced everything out. Instead, they fight for the Alliance, which makes them by far stronger than the Horde.

"But the Horde is supported by a Nathrezim. How is it possible that they are still weaker?"

"This Nathrezim has brought far too fewer demons to this world. They are not enough to make a difference" she responded and took a sip.

"So, what do we do?" I asked and tilted my head, looking at her curiously.

"We take advantage that another demon is supporting the Horde. You will eliminate this Nathrezim and take his place. Then we will reinforce the Horde with more demons and wait until the Alliance and the Horde have annihilated each other. Nobody will stop us from conquering Azeroth when the Horde and the Alliance are gone forever" explained Lady Rissya.

"This is a very good plan"

Lady Rissya smiled. "Of course, it is. I made this plan"

"Did this blue-skinned Nathrezim bring Arthas and me to this strange dimension?"

"Melran'Gayze"

"What?"

"His name is Melran'Gayze. And yes, he did it"

"Is he the one who manipulated Vanessa Wildflower?"

Lady Rissya nodded.

"He wants to sabotage us" I concluded.

"Exactly. I don't think that it was the only thing he has done to sabotage us. Be prepared for everything"

"I will, mistress"

"Good" she spoke and emptied her glass.

"I told Arthas that Mal'Ganis is after him because I had thought that it was Mal'Ganis' mark on Vanessa's neck" I spoke and gave her a curious look, showing her that I wanted to know more about this demon.

"My son's mark looks different. It looks like a claw with sharp fingernails. Melran'Gayze's mark looks different. It's a combination of the letters M and G" she explained.

"Then he will pay for having tried to kidnap Arthas. Especially because this whore has tried to rape Arthas. I hate her so much"

"You also hate her because she is the mother of Arthas' child, right?"

She chuckled when I didn't respond and choose to stare at the ceiling instead. She put her hand under my chin and turned my head, forcing me to look at her. "Well, at least it won't be his only child".

She chuckled again when she saw the surprised expression on my face. "What? Did you expect that I wouldn't notice that you have become pregnant? Wait... You didn't know it before, didn't you? Oh..."

I didn't know why but for some reason I blushed. I didn't know what to say or what to think at this very moment. Before the Burning Legion had made me a stronger being, I had always wanted to be the mother of Arthas' children. But now, where this dream could become true, I was unsure if I really wanted this. I was not sure if I should be happy or not. I was not sure what to think about this new discovery. So, I remained silent and just stared at her.

"You should be happy. You are expecting the baby of the man you love"

"Well, my former self loved him. Not me"

She laughed. "You are still yourself. You haven't changed because you joined us. You are still the woman who loves him so dearly. You just have to realize it"

I remained silent for a few minutes but then I spoke eventually. "You are right. I love Arthas with heart and soul and I will raise this baby with him after we have conquered Azeroth together"

"First, you need to make him obey you without questioning your decisions. But then I don't see anything which speaks against a family with him"

My response was a wide smile which reached from one ear to the other. She chuckled. "I'm glad that you like the thought. Your kid should be fully human, right?"

I nodded.

"This baby has been begotten after you have taken this human form, so I will cast a spell on you to make sure that this baby will be born as a real human and not as a half human half demon"

"That would be awesome" I responded and gave her a thankful smile. She stood up and walked to me, placing her hands on my belly. She closed her eyes and muttered sentences in the demonic language. My skin and my belly tingled while she was performing her spell. She kept her eyes shut while she did that. She opened them after a few minutes, giving me a small smile.

"It is done" she responded and walked back to her chair. "The baby will be a real human. It will also be protected all outside influences"

"That's great, mistress. I don't know how to thank you for this"

"Just fulfill your duties. The victory of the Burning Legion is all that matters for me. By the way, you should take your humanoid form when you visit your precious prince again. Only show up in your true form when you are speaking to other high ranked demons"

"Don't worry, I will. Thanks for your advices, mistress"

"No problem, my dear"

"Victory for Lord Sargeras"

"Yes. Victory for my father" she laughed. She chuckled when she saw the surprised expression on my face.

"Wait... Lord Sargeras is your father?"

"Yes, he is. Why are you so shocked about it?"

"Well...It just wonders me that... Didn't you say that Lord Thel'zaron is the son of Lord Sargeras?"

"I did"

"So, he is your brother"

"Half-brother to be exactly. Do you have a problem with that?" she asked and tilted her head.

"No, of course not. It's just...Err...Nothing" I managed to avoid her gaze by looking at my fingernails.

"Good"

"Do you have any other questions?" she asked and emptied her glass.

"Not at this moment"

"Good. You can go now"

I stood up and bowed down to her. She chuckled and made a dismissive gesture. I got up and left the room, closing the door behind me.

* * *

"This place looks even worse than I've expected" I muttered as I observed my surroundings. I was standing on some sort of dwarf planet which was rotating in the void. The endless void in which no creatures except demons could survive. This miserable place was also the birthplace of the very first demon.

This was the Twisting Nether.

I saw billions of twinkling stars in the far of this black, airless void. Smaller and larger rocks were floating around. There was even an abandoned, damaged ship which floated through the void. There weren't enough words to describe how miserable this place was.

Without air, no life could rise and survive here. I was only able to stay here because I was a demon, meaning I didn't need to breathe. The Twisting Nether was even dangerous for demons like me because it was the only place where demons could truly die. But I won't be the one who will die today in this void.

There was another demon whose life will be ended once and forever. This demon couldn't know what will be hitting him. My target arrived at this very moment on the same planet I was standing on.

He was a lot larger than me. Also, his horns were larger and thicker and his wings were stronger. Two of his four arms were crossed in front of his chest while the others were hidden behind his back. He tilted his head, which was protected by a weird looking helmet, as he looked down at me and scrutinized me.

"So, you are the famous Lady Proudmoore, Lady Rissya's toy and newest student" he statemented and walked around me, regarding me from all angles. His voice was low and monotonous.

"And you are Melran'Gayze" I responded, imitating his voice perfectly.

"Exactly" he answered. Neither his eyes nor the rest of his face showed any form of emotion. I couldn't know if he was interested, excited or bored to see me. He showed nothing. Not even the smallest form of a smile. It almost seemed that he had no emotion at all.

"What do you want?" he asked after I had remained silent for a couple of minutes.

"I want to know why you are sabotaging us. Lord Thel'zaron has planned the conquest of Azeroth since decades and he is close to victory. But now you are messing up his plans with your actions. Why are you doing this?"

He simply shrugged his shoulders. "Because I'm bored. I have decided to conquer Azeroth in the name of Lord Sargeras but I will do it my way. And I will be the one who will earn all the glory. I will be victorious while Thel'zaron's pathetic plan will not work out, again. He is a loser. He failed one time a decade ago and he will fail again. I will make sure of it"

"You know that I can't allow that"

He chuckled. It was the first time that he showed any kind of emotion. "As if you would be able to change anything. You wouldn't even be able to touch me, so how do you plan to stop me?" he spoke amused. He was making fun of me and didn't take me seriously. He will regret that. He will regret underestimating me. He will regret messing up my master's plans.

I held my wands tightly, giving him a dangerous look. His blue lips formed a small smile for the fraction of a second before his face became expressionless again.

"What will you do, little one? You weren't even born as a Nathrezim. There is nothing you can do to stop me. Besides, it's forbidden for a Nathrezim to kill another race member. But even if it wouldn't be forbidden, you are still not powerful enough to stop me" he spoke and stepped closer to me.

"Who said that I'm alone?" I spoke and gave him a teasing grin.

He tilted his head. "Hm? I don't see anyone who could help you, little one"

"Take a closer look" I demanded and gave him a provocative grin. He raised an eyebrow and turned around, staring in the endless void which was surrounding us. "There is no one..." he spoke as he took my bait and turned around. He stopped in the middle of his sentence; his eyes widened when he realized that I had thrust a sharp ice-lance in his chest.

"How dare you" he roared out as he pushed me away and pulled the lance out of his chest. His face distorted in anger as he charged forward and tried to hit me with his four sharp claws. I spread my wings and raise in the air, dodging his attack with ease. I flew around him and bombarded him with ice, fire and arcane spells.

My smile became wider with each frustrated sound which slipped out of his mouth. The disbelieving face he was making was priceless. He was just another arrogant demon who had underestimated me. I hated when people underestimated me only because I looked so innocent and harmless.

He tried to hit me over and over again with various spells, techniques or with his claws but I managed to block or counter each of his attempts. I hit him over and over again, hurting him more and more. He lost his patience after a few minutes of this cat and mouse play.

A loud scream escaped his lips as his body grew in size. His horns and wings became much larger. Two additional arms grew out of his upper body. His hands became larger and his fingernails became sharper as well. Two additional eyes appeared on his forehead.

Evil laughter escaped his lips as he regarded me with his four scary eyes. But his twisted form didn't intimidate me. I looked up at him without showing any emotion.

My bored face made him really angry. He snarled and opened his mouth. A thick and long tongue darted out and tried to hit me. Of course, I avoided his attack but I didn't just dodge it. Instead, I countered his attack and cut his long ugly demon tongue off. A pained scream escaped the demon's lips. His four eyes widened and stared at me in disbelief. He was saying something but I couldn't understand it. The loss of his tongue caused that only unrecognizable muttering came out of his mouth.

He muttered something and tried to hit me with his six claws but I teleported behind him and created a massive ice-splinter. I rammed the splinter in his back, smiling when he spat a large amount of blood out. I didn't give him the opportunity to pull the splinter out as I bombarded him with more and more spells.

He got hit over and over again until he landed on the ground. His entire body was covered by deep wounds out of which icky green blood was flowing out. In one of his four eyes stuck a sharp splinter, meaning that it would never be able to see again.

The other three eyes were widened and stared at me in fear. He muttered something unintelligible. He tried to get up but I froze his limps to the ground, preventing that he could stand up and attack me. I kneeled in front of him and tilted my head as I regarded him with a wide smile on my lips.

"I'm sure you are asking yourself now how I have become so strong. The answer is very simple. I have always been a strong mage and I never had a problem fighting against demons before I had been turned into a Nathrezim. Lady Rissya had made me a lot stronger. Wiping the floor with a loser like you is no problem for me" I responded and laughed. I created a sharp ice-dagger and rammed it in his chest.

A pained scream escaped Melran'Gayze's lips. I noticed that inflicting pain to this demonic bastard filled me with joy. I imaged that I would hurt Mal'Ganis when I stabbed Melran'Gayze over and over again with the dagger.

I didn't stop hitting him until I noticed that he didn't move anymore. He wasn't even making any noises. I put the dagger away and regarded the demon who was lying in front of me. The corpse was almost unidentifiable. I wouldn't be able to recognize Melran'Gayze if I wouldn't have known how he had looked before I had stabbed him. I regarded my masterpiece with a satisfied smile on my lips. This bastard will never harm anyone again.

_Mal'Ganis will be the next who will follow him. Not now, not tomorrow but soon. Soon he will pay for what he has done with Arthas over a decade ago. The time will come. I will be his doom. His demise._

"Your crusade is over" I whispered and ignited the corpse with fel fire. The fire spread out quickly and consumed the body within a few seconds. The only thing which was spared by the fel fire was the weird looking helmet. I took the helmet and regarded it for a short moment before I created a portal and stepped through it.

I arrived in Lord Thel'zaron's castle, right in front of Lady Rissya's chamber. I didn't hesitate and knocked at the door, waiting in front of it patiently. The door was opened a few moments later and Lady Rissya stepped out of it. She regarded me from head to toe, then her gaze rested on the helmet in my hands.

"It seems that you have fulfilled your task. Very good" she spoke and caressed my chin.

"I have. He was weaker than I have expected"

"Well to be fair, I gave you a large portion of my power. That's why you had no troubles defeating him. Nevertheless, Melran'Gayze is one of the strongest male Nathrezim I've ever met"

"Was"

She tilted her head a little and raised an eyebrow. "Hmm?"

"He was one of the strongest males you met. He is dead and he will never return" I told. I was making an impassive face and spoke with a monotonous voice.

She laughed. "Yeah, you are right. He is gone forever. I still can't believe it that you managed to lure him into the Twisting Nether. How did you even do that?"

"That's my secret. It only worked because he underestimated me and thought that I would be no match for him"

"Fine, you don't need to tell me. He is gone forever. That's all that matters" she responded and gave me a wide smile, taking my face in her hands and caressing my cheeks.

"What shall I do next, mistress?" I asked as I stared into her beautiful eyes.

"Follow me" she responded quickly and walked alongside the corridor which led to the south of the castle. I obey and walked behind her, not daring to dawdle. We didn't say any during the first few minutes. It wasn't until we went around the corner that I broke the silence. "Where are we going and what are we doing?"

She stopped walking and turned her head so that she was able to see me out of the corner of her right eye. She regarded me for a few seconds then she looked forward again. She continued to walk and didn't say anything for the next five minutes.

"We are going to the room where your final test will take place" she spoke eventually.

"My final test?" I asked. She wasn't looking at me, so she couldn't see the irritated look I was giving her. But my irritation was clearly audible in my voice.

"You have to prove that you are really willing to work for the Burning Legion" she spoke without stopping to move or looking at me.

I walked faster and passed her, stopping in front of her so that she couldn't walk any further without shoving me away. She tilted her head and looked down at me with a small smirk on her lips.

"I have already proven my loyalty by manipulating Varian and Calia. Not to mention that I killed Melran'Gayze. I did everything you have asked of me. So, why do I have to prove myself once again?" I asked, regarding her with narrowed eyes.

"We just want to be sure that you are really on our side and not only pretending to be our ally. Pass this test and I will never doubt your loyalty again" she spoke, giving me a barely visible smirk.

"What do I have to do?"

She was silent for a few moments. She shoved me aside gently and started to follow the corridor. "You will see" she spoke after two minutes of walking. Of course, I was following her but I didn't say anything during our walk.

"We arrived in front of a violet door which archway was decorated by glowing demonic symbols. I was able to decipher these symbols. 'Room of Agony'.

I looked at her but she wasn't looking back so she couldn't see my confused reaction. The door was opened when Lady Rissya snapped with her fingers. I heard quiet music when I got closer to the door. The music was barely recognizable, still, I was able to hear deep, depressive sounds.

I didn't pay too much attention to the music and followed Lady Rissya's guidance instead. We walked alongside another corridor. It was really dark but I was still able to recognize the cages next to us. There were dozens of cages in which many creatures were locked in. I wasn't able to see what kind of creatures were imprisoned there. They could be humanoids, demons, undead creatures or even servants of the old gods. I couldn't know that nor did it bother me. I only wanted to know what was awaiting me.

I ignored the pained screams from the prisoners. Cries for help or mercy echoed through the room. The air was sticky and very cold inside the room - But that didn't bother me.

I looked straight at Lady Rissya's back while we walked. She didn't even turn her head to look at the cages. Nor did I. The series of cages ended after a while but the room didn't end there. We came to a barely enlightened, small plateau on which a person was kneeling.

My eyes widened when I recognized who was kneeling there.

It was Arthas.

My Arthas whose hands had been cuffed behind his back. His head hung low as he stared at the floor. Chains came from two posts and were connected with his cuffs. His entire upper body was exposed and covered by deep fresh cuts and yawning wounds out of which blood was flowing out.

My heart skipped a beat and nearly stopped when he lifted his chin and looked at me. It was unmistakable that he was terrified. There was a long cut which ran from his forehead over his left eye to his chin. A scream escaped my lips when I noticed the green glowing mark on his neck. The mark was shaped in the form of an 'R' out which hole two glowing eyes were looking. I regarded Arthas in shock and faded out everything which was happening around me.

I startled when I felt Lady Rissya's hand on my rear. I turned around and stepped away, trying to increase the distance between us but she moved with me and didn't take her hand away.

"What did you do" I hissed accusingly. I turned around and gave her a dangerous look. But she only chuckled and didn't take me seriously.

"I prepared your last test" she responded. She chuckled once again when my facial features derailed as I realized what she wanted me to do.

She demanded Arthas' death.

She wanted that I would kill the man I love so deeply with all of my heart. This was my final test. She wanted to know if I would follow her blindly and obey every of her orders. I turned my head and stopped looking at this crazy bitch. I looked back at Arthas. His eyes were focused on me. One was healthy but one was swollen. Panic was written all over his face and his skin was much paler than usual.

I managed to hold my anger back as I looked back at Lady Rissya. "You lied to me" I shouted. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and leaned back against the nearest wall. She just looked at me with a mocking grin on her lips.

"You lied to me" I shouted again, stepping closer to her. "You told me that you wouldn't harm him but you tortured him and made him to your slave". I pointed at the mark on his neck and then at the numerous wounds.

"I'm a Nathrezim, lying is in my nature. That's what I do" she responded calmly.

"You manipulated me and used me as a tool to achieve your goals"

Her grin became wider. "You should be happy that you are still alive. I could have killed you but instead, I spared you and made you even stronger. You owe me your life. I have every right to use you and do whatever I want with you"

I wanted to protest. I wanted to say something. I wanted to tell her that she was wrong. That I was not her mindless servant. That she had no right to abuse me. But somehow no words came out of my opened mouth.

She kept staring at me with that wicked smirk on her lips. I wanted to punch her in the face so badly but I noticed that I couldn't. My body moved on its own. I turned around and looked at Arthas who was still looking up at me.

His eyes asked for help and mercy. I stared at him but didn't do anything to help him. I didn't give him a comforting look either. I hid my emotions as I stared at him. Lady Rissya walked over to me and placed a sword in my hands. I looked down at the sword, noticing that its blade was as green as her skin. She looked at me and then pointed at Arthas.

"Do it. Finish him and I will release you from my service. You will be an independent Nathrezim. You will be able to do whatever you want. You can help us conquering Azeroth or you can do something else. But remember, that I will consider it as treason if you refuse to ram this sword in his black heart. You will wish that you would have never been born when I'm done with you if you choose to betray me. So, choose wisely" she spoke with a soft voice, the corner of her lips formed a mischievous smile.

I looked at her for a few moments, then I looked back at Arthas who was still kneeling in front of me, suffering under the many injuries Lady Rissya had inflicted on him. I wish I could do something for him. I wish I could free him, run away with him and hide with him forever. But the sad truth was that I couldn't. Rissya would kill me slowly if I wouldn't kill Arthas.

Kill Arthas.

This sounded so surreal.

I had never imagined that I had to kill Arthas one day. Not even after he had become the Lich King and had led various attacks on the living. I had not even thought about killing him when I had tried to save him for the first time in the Halls of Reflection where I had been almost raped by him and barely escaped with my life.

There was no way I could harm Arthas, not to mention kill him. But she would kill me and my family probably too if I wouldn't do what she demanded. I didn't want to lose Arthas but I didn't want to lose my own life and my family too. I didn't want to lose my mother or Tandred. I was conflicted and couldn't decide what to do. I wish I could do nothing but that was not an option either.

I felt a hand under my chin which turned my head and forced me to look at the impatient demon to my left. She didn't say anything but the haunting look on her face was enough to scare me and tell me that she hated waiting. She stared into my eyes for a few moments before she forced me to look back at Arthas who was still staring at me.

"Do something" she snarled and pushed me forward, causing that I nearly fell onto the floor. The sword slipped out of my hand and landed right in front of Arthas. He lowered his head and stared at it. He was making a scared face as he regarded it closely. But there was nothing he could do. He couldn't move his hands which were still tied behind his back. He didn't even try to get free. He just kneeled there and stared at the sword which Lady Rissya had chosen to end his life.

My heart beat rapidly in my chest. Hundreds of different thoughts came in my mind but I wasn't able to sort them. They were flooding my mind, preventing that I could make a decision. I didn't know what to do. I couldn't kill Arthas but I couldn't allow that Lady Rissya would kill me and my family.

_What should I do?_

_What should I do?_

_What should I do?_

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. My heartbeat became slower, my muscles relaxed and my skin stopped tingling. I knew exactly what to do. There was only one way to save my life and the lives of my loved ones.

I bent down and picked up the sword. I pressed the tip of the sword against Arthas' chest. Tears ran down my cheeks when I looked at his pleading face. A tear formed in his healthy eye and ran down his cheek. I stared at him, noticing the pleased smile on Lady Rissya's lips out of the corner of my eyes.

I kept looking at Arthas for a few minutes. He didn't say anything nor did I. My heart started to beat rapidly again. My skin began to tingle nervously again. I held the sword's handle tightly to prevent that it would slip out of my hand.

I pulled the sword away to prepare the strike. "I'm sorry that it has to end this way" were the last words I muttered. But not in the common language of the humans. These words weren't addressed for Arthas. Nor was the following stab. The only sound which was hearable was the loud scream which echoed through the room.


	40. United, we are stronger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have never expected that this story would reach forty chapters. I thought that it would end sooner but this story has captivated me and led me to write more and more. I don't know how long this story will be but I assume I can reach the 45th chapter. Let's see.
> 
> Anyways, thank you for your support. Thank you for reading this story to this point. Feel free to rate this story and write comments. I would love that.
> 
> ~Greetings Darkness

"What have you done, you dumb bitch?" Lady Rissya cried out and shoved me away, causing that I fell onto the floor. Her widened eyes regarded the sword in her left hip. She grabbed the handle and pulled it out carefully. Green blood flowed out of the wound and dripped onto the ground. She dropped the sword and put a hand on the wound, muttering a few phrases. She took the hand away eventually, revealing that the wound had been healed.

She tilted her head and looked at me, snarling when she noticed that I had gotten up in the meantime and prepared a spell. "How dare you? How dare you attack me, you dumb cunt?" she hissed and made a step forward. I didn't say anything. I just stared at her and held the fireball above my left hand.

My silence made her really angry. Her green eyes narrowed and glowed brighter than usual. A frown appeared on her forehead as she showed me her sharp teeth. Somehow, her staring felt unpleasant but I didn't look away nor did I move an inch. I just stared into these bright green glowing, angry eyes which rested on me.

She lost her temper as I remained silent. "SAY SOMETHING, YOU TRAITOROUS BITCH" she shouted and created a green fel fire flame above her left hand, signalizing me that she would harm me if I wouldn't give her an immediate answer.

My response was simple and short. "You left me no other choice"

She made another step forward, increasing the size of the flame as anger started to overwhelm her. "YOU WILL PAY FOR HURTING ME. NOBODY DARES TO DISREGARD MY ORDERS AND REVOLT AGAINST ME"

I remained silent and stared at her, creating a large ice lance.

"Don't worry, I won't kill you right now" she said with the same angry tone she had used before. "First, I will torture your precious prince and kill him in front of your eyes. Then I will kill you"

I remained calm even though my heart beat so rapidly in my chest that I feared it would explode the next moment. "Try it" I responded after a few seconds. The corner of my lips formed a small smile when I noticed that she had become angrier once again. I knew that Lady Rissya was the type of person who loved to control everything and thought about things twice before she made a decision.

Making her angry would cause that she wouldn't think about her actions and act rashly which could be an advantage for me. I had trained with Lady Rissya a lot so I knew that she was a very capable spellcaster. To lure her into hand-to-hand combat could only benefit me. I wouldn't count me to the best close combat fighters on Azeroth but I had trained enough with Arthas over the recent months to pose a threat even with a sword - or in my case with my wands.

I hadn't provoked Lady Rissya enough to cause that she would jump on me and get in close combat. So, I had to provoke her even more. "What are you waiting for, you brother-loving whore of a demon?". I smiled when I noticed that my taunt had worked.

She snarled and threw the flame at me, running in my direction while I was busy dealing with the fel flame. I extinguished the flame and shot the fireball and the ice lance at her. The fireball hit her but didn't harm her at all. She caught the ice lance and shattered it with one hand, while the other formed a fist.

She went straight for me, trying to hit me with her clenched fist. I reacted quickly and sidestepped her attack. Then I grabbed her arm and thrust my elbow in her ribs as I pulled her to me. My training with Arthas seemed to pay off. A few months ago, I wouldn't have been able to dodge such an attack nor would I have been able to counter it. But the training with Arthas and my transformation into a dreadlord had made me a lot stronger and faster.

Unfortunately, I still didn't know if I could best Lady Rissya. Whenever we had trained, I had memorized the way she moved and what techniques she had used. But I was pretty sure that she hadn't shown me her full potential. I assumed that she was very powerful and was capable of more than she had shown me during our training sessions.

The biggest mistake I could make was to underestimate her, so I decided to not get cocky even though I managed to hit her and break two of her ribs. Lady Rissya winced in pain again when my elbow came in contact with her broken ribs once, twice and even a third time. I tried to hit her again but she managed to block my attack and freed her arm from my grip.

I created a sharp ice knife and tried to stab her but she grabbed my underarm and prevented that the knife's tip got any closer. I tried to get free but her grip was too strong. She took advantage of this situation and slapped me hard in the face.

I howled out when the palm of her hand came in contact with my nose. Blood flowed out of my nose and ran over my chin, dripping onto the floor. I made a step backwards, trying to wriggle out of her grip. But her hand held my wrist very tightly and her sharp nails duck in my skin so that I was unable to get free without harming myself even more.

She hit me once again in the face, this time with a clenched fist. She prepared another punch but this time I was able to avoid the hit. I ducked beneath her arm and hit her knee with my left hoof. She cried out loudly and loosened her grip on my wrist when she drew her leg back. I used this opportunity and created another sharp ice knife. I thrust it in her upper arm, causing that she let me go. I pulled my arm away and increased the distance between us.

I got concentrated, letting more and more power rushing through my body. Large wings came out of my back and horns grew out of my forehead. Lady Rissya charged at me a few seconds later, preventing that I could complete my transformation. At least my hands had changed to claws so I was able to scratch her as she came closer. She snarled but ignored the deep claw marks in her torso. She even ignored the green blood which flowed out of the wound.

She tried to hit me with her claws, which were even larger than mine, but I teleported away before her sharp fingernails hit me. I appeared about thirty feet behind her and cast a spell. An arcane blast flew to her and hit her in the side.

She turned around, stretched her wings out and rose in the air. I assumed that she discarded her plan to beat me in melee combat. I was pretty sure she wanted to kill me from the far. Of course, I wouldn't allow that.

She regarded me for a short moment before she created a barrier around her. I mimicked her action. The barriers were equally strong, they only differed in colour. My barrier glowed bluish while hers was fel green.

Both of us began to cast spells. It turned out what we had the same idea. She summoned two wrathguards and two massive doomguards while I had summoned two infernals and even a smaller version of a pit lord. The four-legged demon was carrying a massive axe while the infernals had nothing but their burning lumps, also known as their hands, to fight. The wrathguards, on the other hand, were carrying large claymores.

Lady Rissya laughed amused. "Do you really think me that you can best me in my realm with my techniques?"

I looked at her freshly summoned servants, then at her. "Many of my enemies made the mistake to underestimate me. I hope you are wiser"

Once again, she laughed. "I have made your body and formed you the way you are now. I know pretty well what you are capable of. You are overestimating yourself if you think that you are stronger than me"

"I have killed many demons so far. Even the stronger ones. I've killed Melran'Gayze who was definitely one of the strongest members of your kind. I think I can deal with you as well" I responded, giving her a provocative smile.

"You only managed to defeat Melran'Gayze because I gifted you a portion of my power. Without it, you would have lost that duel. Don't forget that" she responded and crossed her arms in front of her chest, tilting her head slightly.

I chuckled. "And you have forgotten that I still have this portion of your power"

"I can take it away from you anytime if I want"

"Go for it" I responded and cast a spell. One of the wrathguards was hit by an arcane blast. Its head exploded, dark green blood sprayed out and hit the demon next to it. Its companion stared at the corpse which fell forward, making a dull sound when it hit the floor.

The demons looked at me and charged in my direction before their owner could order them to stay calm. Lady Rissya shouted something at their servants but they didn't listen. The pit lord swung his axe, beheading one of the two red-skinned doomguards. The second doomguard jumped on the nearest infernal and wrestled with it.

"Stop it, you fools" Lady Rissya cried out but the demons didn't obey her. What she couldn't know was that I had cast a spell on the demons when they had arrived. The spell caused that they couldn't hear their mistress' orders.

Lady Rissya cursed loudly when she realized that her demons didn't obey her. She pressed the palms of her hands together, creating a greenish fireball. She didn't hesitate to shoot it at the pit lord. It hit the pit lord in the chest, burning a deep and large hole in its flesh. The demon howled out loudly but its pained screams died away when the remaining wrathguard thrust its sword through the pit lords' mouth. The wrathguard didn't hesitate and beheaded the weakened demon before it could do something.

I cursed silently and froze the second doomguard. The two infernals didn't hesitate and shattered the ice which had been wrapped around the doomguard, destroying the demon's body. They turned around and looked at Lady Rissya. Unfortunately, they were hit by spells before they could do something. A shadow bolt of immense power hit the first infernal and killed it immediately.

The second was hit by a green flame which consumed its body within a few seconds. That meant that none of my minions were left while Lady Rissya had one minion left. The wrathguard approached me and attacked me with its claymore.

I dodged its first swing, blocking the second swing with my wands. The demon was making a strained face as it tried to cut through my wands but they were too firm for the claymore's sharp blade. I focused my strength and managed to push the demon away.

He staggered backwards, letting his guard down for a short moment. I took advantage of his vulnerability and hit him with my wands over and over again. He cried out whenever one of the wands hit him. I had wrapped fel fire flames around the tips which weren't making things more pleasant for the demon. The demon cried out in pain for the last time before the flames jumped over to it and consumed its body.

I turned my head and looked at Lady Rissya who had watched the duel against the demon without saying or doing something. "You are better than I have expected" she said eventually and came closer to me.

I didn't say anything in return. I just looked at her while I created a fireball above my hand. The fireball's colour was neither green nor red. It was black. As black as Lady Rissya's eyes have become. I didn't know why her eye colour had changed nor did I know what this meant. I could only assume that it meant nothing good for me.

Her skin colour changed from green to black. Her body grew in size, especially her wings and claws became a lot larger than the rest of her body. She tilted her head as soon as her transformation was over. Her new terrifying appearance didn't intimidate me. I regarded her for a few moments before I shot the black fireball at her. Unfortunately, it didn't injure her even though it exploded on her chest.

Short laughter came out of her mouth. She licked her lips with her pitch-black tongue as she walked towards me. But she walked very slowly which gave me the opportunity to hit her with multiple smells. They left deep cuts and even smaller holes in her flesh but other than that, they didn't injure her at all.

Her voice sounded much deeper than before "Is that all you have got? Pathetic"

I cursed silently and summoned two frost elementals. I created a ring of frost beneath Lady Rissya's feet, hoping that it would stop her from moving any further. Unfortunately, it didn't work as I had hoped. She was still able to walk without restrictions. She approached my water elementals and tore their heads apart before they could do something. She flung the heads at me, causing that I had to interrupt the channelling of my spell to dodge these two missiles.

In the blink of an eye, she appeared in front of me and grabbed me by the throat. She lifted me in the air and walked to the nearest wall, pressing me against it. Her grip was so tight what I would have had troubles to breathe if I still needed air to survive. She smiled widely while she regarded me with her black orbs. She leaned in and opened her mouth, her black tongue darted out of her mouth and licked over my face, causing that I was shivering and feeling disgusted.

She pulled her tongue back in her mouth and pressed me harder against the wall, causing that my back started to hurt more. "You are really disappointing me, Lady Proudmoore. I thought you are capable of more after I've given you a large portion of my power. But it seems that I have wasted my power. I made you alive again and gave you power. And how are you rewarding me for these gifts? With betrayal and plots against me"

"It's your own fault. I have told you that I will only work for you if you promise me to spare Arthas. But you didn't. You tortured him and ordered me to kill him. You broke your promise" I hissed and spat right in her face. I had expected her to get angrier and hurt me more. But she didn't get angrier, instead, she remained calm and kept regarding me.

"Broke my promise? It's funny that this comes out of your mouth"

"What do you mean?" I asked and raised an eyebrow, still ignoring the pain in my back.

"Didn't you promise to Arthas that you will never leave him? Didn't you leave him in front of the gates of Stratholme? Didn't you promise to never leave him again after you found him again after all these years? And still, you left him for a week after you have found out that he has a son with the sister of this bitch who has humiliated you while you have served the Lich King. You also promised to serve me loyally. And you broke this promise as well. You are a nasty woman who doesn't keep her promises. You have no right to blame me for breaking my promise" she responded and increased the pressure on my throat. The pain I was feeling was so immense that tears were formed in the corners of my eyes but I blinked them away and prevented that they rolled down my cheeks.

I was not able to say something in return, even though I tried it. She tilted her head and regarded me from head to toe. She was double the size of me and regarded me from above like a dangerous predator.

"You have fulfilled your purpose. With your help, I've managed to incite the Horde against the Alliance. They are at war and weaken each other which means that the invasion of the Burning Legion will be successful this time. I only need to order my armies to invade your pathetic world. The pathetic inhabitants won't have a change against us. Not after they had lost so many good warriors. My husband will earn my fathers' trust again which means that he will reward us both. Maybe my husband even allows me to carry out another child. You have to know that I'm very proud of Mal'Ganis but I always wanted another child"

Finally, I managed to ignore the pain which spread out in my body. I stared into Lady Rissya's eyes, not showing any signs of fear. "He is still your brother. Having sex and children with a relative is so disgusting"

She laughed. "It may be disgusting for humans like you but for us demons it's only natural"

"No, it's not. I've never heard of a demon who spread her legs for her brother. You are just a whore. A dumb, overrated and ugly whore" I hissed.

For the first time since her transformation, her facial expression changed. Her triumphant expression disappeared and was replaced by anger. It was clearly visible in her eyes that my words had really hurt her. She snarled and threw me against the opposite wall. I groaned when I rebounded off the wall and landed on the floor. I had to scrape together the last remains of physical strength to get up and keep staying upright.

She walked over to me and grabbed me by the throat again, lifting me in the air with ease. This time she lifted me above her head so that I had to look down at her.

"You are unworthy of my power. I should take it back because you won't need it anymore" she spoke and stared into my eyes, smiling mischievously. My skin started to tingle and my heart began to beat faster. I realized quickly that she was draining the power out of my body as I started to become weaker and weaker. The portion of power she had given me was drained out of my body quickly but she didn't stop after she had gotten the borrowed power back. I realized that she wanted to take all of my power to make me unable to fight her.

I wanted to defend myself, wanted to duck my hooves right in her ugly face but I felt powerless. I wanted to scream for help, wanted to insult her but I felt too weak for that. There was nothing I could do at this very moment, even though I tried hard. My vision became dizzy and the surroundings became blurred. At least I was not able to see her scornful face anymore.

I didn't know how long she had needed to drain the power of my body as I was flung onto the floor. I had expected that she would kill me but somehow, she hadn't. My vision became keener until I was able to see my surroundings again. I was expecting that she would stand next to me and would regard me from above. But she didn't. Instead, she was fighting against someone. Someone I knew.

I realized that it was Calia who was keeping the demon with holy light abilities at a distance. It was very effective in pushing her away but not in harming her. Even though she was using the holy light, she wasn't able to injure the demon. But at least the demon wasn't injuring her.

I stood up carefully, realizing that not all of my power had been drained out. I was definitely weaker but still stronger than I had been before my transformation. I realized that my wands were lying on the other side of the room. But I didn't need them. I was able to cast without them. My spells would be weaker without them and I would have to use more mana for my spells but I would be still able to create spells which would harm an average opponent.

Unfortunately, Lady Rissya was no average opponent. I hadn't been able to injure her with my full power and both wands. So, I wouldn't be able to cause something without my wands and with less power. But I had to try it. I couldn't abandon Calia.

I created a fel fireball and threw it at Lady Rissya. It hit her in the back but didn't injure her at all. She turned around and looked at me with a surprised look on her face. It seemed that she didn't expect that I was still able to stand and fight.

Her face distorted in anger as she lifted her left hand, starting to cast a spell. Fortunately, she was interrupted when something pierced her left hip. My mood became better and hope came up when I realized that it was Varian's sword who had penetrated Lady Rissya's skin and flesh with ease.

She snarled and turned around, trying to hit Varian but he was faster than I and the demon had expected. He dodged her punches and managed to block her massive claw with his sword. I used the time where she was busy to rush to the other side of the room, picking up both wands.

I felt immediately stronger when I held them in my hands. I clashed them together and muttered a few phrases. Two fire elementals appeared in front of me. But they didn't consist out of red flames. Their bodies were made out of green flames. These fel fire elementals rushed to Lady Rissya and attacked her, keeping her busy so that I was able to perform a summoning spell. Two persons appeared in front of me. Both were members of the Scourge and both made surprising faces when they noticed that I had teleported them to me.

I pointed at Lady Rissya as I looked at the newcomers. Kel'Thuzad and Lana'thel nodded to me, signalizing me that they understood what I wanted from them. Together they cast another summoning spell. Anub'arak and Zaen were summoned a moments later.

"The mighty Jaina Proudmoore needs help to beat such a little innocent demon like me. What a shame. I've expected more from you. Come and face me in a fair duel"

I didn't fell for her taunt "You are anything else than innocent nor are you fighting fair, you filthy backstabbing bitch"

She gave me a very angry look and charged forward. It was obvious that she wanted to harm me but Anub'arak stepped in front of me and prevented that she could reach me. A white glowing layer was wrapped around his carapace, protecting him from her sharp claws.

She snarled and tried to jump around him but he reacted quickly. Even though his body was very huge and heavy, he was still able to move with her and prevent that she could reach me.

An angry cry escaped her lips as she rose in the air and cast a shock wave, knocking everyone away. I landed in the nearest corner while the others landed on different spots.

I got up very quickly and took up my wands. I began to cast a spell but she was faster. She landed right in front of me and grabbed me by the throat. She lifted me in the air, opened her jaw and showed me her very sharp teeth. I knew immediately that she wanted to bite my head off. She had lost her patience so she wanted to finish this as fast as possible.

Of course, I didn't let her bite me. Her grip on my throat was not strong enough to prevent that I could mutter a few words. A few quick muttered phrases were enough to freeze her head, making her unable to bite me. She dropped me and put her hands on the ice block which was wrapped around her head. She didn't need long to melt the ice around her head.

Even though she had freed herself, freezing her head had still been effective for us. This move had not only helped me to get free of her but also bought enough time for the others to come to my aid. A barrier of holy light was wrapped around my body which blocked the following claw attack from Lady Rissya. She snarled and executed another attack, shattering the barrier.

But before she was able to attack again, holy fire hit her in the back. She may be a very powerful demon but she was still a demon which meant that the holy light was her greatest weakness. It really surprised me that Calia's spell had injured her. A few minutes ago, none of her abilities had injured the demon. Not even in the slightest.

I didn't know why the dreadlord became vulnerable to Calia's spells. I could only assume the members of the Scourge had something to do with that. I knew that Lana'thel and Kel'Thuzad were capable of a lot so I assumed that they had found a way to weaken Lady Rissya's defence.

The demon turned around and looked at Calia who was standing a few feet away from her. I created a sharp ice splinter and aimed at the deep wound which had been inflicted by the holy light. The ice splinter hit her, causing that she cried out in pain. Varian took advantage of this opportunity, where she was distracted, and left a deep cut in her chest. I noticed that his sword had been blessed by the light, making it more effective against the demon overlord.

Lady Rissya managed to hit him with her hooves in return, knocking him away. But Varian got up very quickly and joined the others who were bombarding the dreadlord with spells. Kel'Thuzad used various ice spells while Zaen and Lana'thel used dark magic to hurt the demon. Anub'arak summoned lots of smaller bugs which jumped on the demon and stuck their poisoned stingers in her body. The leader of the nerubians even managed to hit her with one of his poisoned fangs.

The poison which had been pumped in her body worked quickly, weakened the demon even more. It was not enough to defeat her but at least she was not able to move so fast and cast spells so fast as usual. Getting weaker didn't mean that Lady Rissya was defenceless. She was still able to attack and injure us. She hit Anub'arak a few times and was even able to leave a deep cut in Varian's cheek. At least, she didn't manage to seriously harm anyone.

I cast fel fire spells at her and helped Kel'Thuzad slowing her down while the others were inflicting more and more injuries to her.

In the end, she dropped to her knees, breathing heavily. Her entire body was covered by yawning wounds, deep cuts and other wounds. Her left wing was broken, one of her horns was missing and she wasn't able to move her left leg.

I walked to her until I stood right in front of her and regarded her from above. Her facial expression reflected hatred. She gave me a furious look and wiped away the blood which came out of her burst bottom lip.

"How dare you oppose me? You were nothing before you met me. I made you stronger and gave made you alive again after that monster of your lover killed you. You should thank me for having made you stronger but instead, you are betraying me. You are not better than most demons you have encountered. You are nor better than me"

I tilted my head and regarded her for a few moments before I responded. "I don't need to be better than you. I only have to fight for the right side. For the living and the dead. Not for the Legion. You and your pathetic race are the reason why I have become undead in the first place. You corrupted the love of my life. He became a different person because of your family's actions. You have manipulated him to take Frostmourne. Without your family, he would have never become evil and never killed me. Basically, you are responsible for my death. You are responsible for the destruction of Lordaeron and you are responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousand innocent creatures. Mal'Ganis may have planned the campaign in Lordaeron but you and your husband were the ones who ordered him to do so. You have caused so much pain and loss for the citizens of Azeroth. And you will pay for everything"

I smiled when I stared into her shocked face. Her widened eyes were regarding me closely. Her gaze rested on my face before it shifted to Ashbringer in Calia's hands.

"What? This is not possible. She is not a paladin. She shouldn't be able to wield it" she shouted. Her voice reflected fear. Same did her eyes when she realized that I had brought her, the group and me to another place.

I had brought us to the Twisting Nether. The only place where demons could truly die. I had created a dome which produced so that Varian and Calia could survive in this strange place.

Calia responded to her statement. "Priests and Priestesses only need to train in close combat and learn how to wield weapons to become a paladin. I haven't trained enough to call myself a paladin but I know how to wield weapons"

"I should be the one who ends your life because your actions caused the corruption of the love of my life. But I will obtain justice by killing Mal'Ganis who snatched Arthas away from me. But I'm not the only one who lost people of importance. Calia lost the love of her life and her family because of the Scourge. Not to mention her kingdom. Her dear brother had been controlled by the Lich King who had turned him into a monster. Your actions have turned her life upside down as well" I regarded Lady Rissya while I was making a small pause. She was still staring at me, fear was still written all over her face. But also anger.

"Then there is Varian who lost his father and his kingdom was destroyed when the Orcish Horde invaded Azeroth for the first time. He has also the right to obtaining justice. But for now, Calia will obtain justice by killing you" I spoke and looked at Calia, who didn't act anymore like the mindless puppet to which I had made her. She was acting like herself again, free from any control.

Calia gave me a nod and stepped closer to Lady Rissya, pressing the tip of Ashbringer against her throat.

"How did you even manage to break my control? Nobody has ever managed to do that"

"I don't know, to be honest. But that doesn't matter now. Do you have any last words you want to say?"

She gritted her teeth and gave me a dangerous look. "My death won't change anything, Proudwhore. You may have won the battle but you didn't win the war. You may have defeated me but you won't be able to defeat my husband. Not after he has absorbed so many souls and has transformed into his final form. He will wipe the floor with all of you and avenge my death. He will slaughter all of your loved ones, Proudwhore. Your bastard of a lover, his whore of a sister and your disgusting family. He will..."

Calia cut her head off - killing her forever - before she was able to spit more hateful words out. Her body went limp and landed on the floor, dissolving a few moments later.

I regarded the spot where the female dreadlord had laid a few moments ago. I turned my head to the right when I felt a soft and warm hand on my shoulder. I looked directly at Calia who was giving me a small smile and regarded me with her sky-blue eyes. I returned the smile and placed my hand on hers, rubbing it softly until she took it away eventually.

"I'm sorry that I have forced you to serve me" I spoke, looking at Varian and Calia.

"I forgive you. You had no other choice because this crazy bitch has controlled you" spoke Calia and stepped closer to me. "At least you didn't force us to do something inappropriate or something we wouldn't want"

"This demon is gone forever. She won't ever control us again. We should leave that behind us" spoke Varian.

"We have to be careful, others could try to manipulate us. Mal'Ganis and his father are still a threat. Not to mention that Sylvanas and the Horde are still mad at us. This is not over yet" I responded.

Calia put her hand on my back. "Don't worry, we will handle this. We will save Azeroth and protect Arthas from all dangers"

I pulled her in a tight hug, resting my head on her shoulder. "Hopefully" I whispered and caressed her back softly. I pulled away eventually and regarded my companions for a few moments. Arcane energy crackled between my fingers as I prepared a spell. Kel'Thuzad and Lana'thel noticed soon enough what I was doing and helped me. Together we created a portal, which was even large enough for Anub'arak, within a few minutes.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, commanding my body to change. I created a hand mirror and regarded my reflection in it. My lips formed a smile when I noticed that I wasn't looking like an undead half-demon anymore. I was looking normal again. I looked at the others, signalizing them that I was ready to walk through the portal. I didn't wait long and walked through it after they had agreed to follow me.


	41. Comfort

Calia and I walked a few feet and turned around, waiting for the others to step out of the portal. They arrived a few moments later and approached us immediately.

Varian was the one who spoke first. "I can't believe that this demon has turned you into one of them. I have expected a lot of bad things from the Legion but I have never thought that they would kidnap you and transform you into a demon"

"I haven't expected that either. At least I can change my form and appear as a human, an undead or any other form I want to take. Unfortunately, that doesn't change that I'm a demon" I responded.

"We wouldn't have believed that you are really our Jaina if this demon wouldn't have admitted that she turned you against your will. You know that we have very little trust in demons after everything that happened"

"I know Varian. It would have been hard for me to convince you that I'm on your side. You should know that I have knowledge no demon could ever steal. They can copy my appearance but not my memory. On the other hand, they could force me to tell everything I know once I'm under their control. But I wouldn't have fought against two mighty dreadlords if I wouldn't be on your side. You can still do the truth test with me. I promise that I don't want to harm any of you" I responded.

Calia placed her hand on my back and gave me a small smile. "You don't need to prove anything. We believe that you are the real Jaina, even though you are a demon now"

I returned her smile "Thank you, Calia"

"We should go to Arthas and free him finally. It hurts me to imagine that he is still shackled and injured"

"Yes, we should do that" I spoke and walked to the other side of the room. As I had expected, Arthas was still there, staring at the floor. His left eye was still swollen and his entire upper body was covered by cuts and bruises.

I walked around him and bent down, placing my hands on the cuffs. I focused my power and destroyed the cuffs with the help of fel fire. Of course, I had made sure that the fel fire didn't come in contact with Arthas' skin, meaning he didn't get hurt. I walked around him and sat down on my knees right in front of him, placing his face in my hands.

He didn't look up at first, nor did he react to my gentle touch. I whispered his name, hoping that we would still recognize my voice. I didn't know what this crazy bitch had done to his mind. She could have corrupted him, stolen his memory or even changed it. She could have changed his memory so that he would think that I was his enemy and had done all these horrible things to him. She could have done a lot to him and I was afraid of every possibility. I didn't want to lose Arthas, not after everything we went through.

I whispered his name once again, caressing his checks with my soft hands. He lifted his head enough so that his good eye was able to see me. "Jaina? Is it...? Is it really you?" he stuttered, his voice was low and sounded weak.

My heart skipped a beat. "Yes, Arthas. It's me. I'm here to save you" I tried to hold tears back but it was harder than expected. Tears of joy ran down my cheek.

"What happened? Did I dream that you were turned into a demon? It was just a dream, right? You aren't one of these bastards which hurt me, aren't you? You would never support the Burning Legion, wouldn't you? Not after everything they have done to us and to the people who are important to us, right?"

"I would never hurt innocents and friends. I promise I will explain everything, honey. But not now. First, we have to get you out of here and take care of your wounds" I responded and wrapped my arms around his neck.

"But..." he started but I silenced him by pressing my index finger on his lips.

"No buts" I whispered and sealed his lips with mine. He returned the kiss after a few moments but didn't say anything else after I had pulled away.

I turned my head to Varian who signalized me with a nod that he understood what I wanted from him. He came to us and assisted me in helping Arthas to stand up. Arthas wasn't able to stand on his own but with our support, he was able to move slowly. We guided him through the portal which had been created by Kel'Thuzad and Lana'thel. Together with Calia, we stepped through the portal and came out in Stormwind Keep.

The guards who stood in the throne room made surprised faces when they saw us. Their eyes widened when they noticed Arthas' bad condition. Some of them kept standing on their post while the rest spread out and rushed out of the keep. I assumed that they wanted to find healers who could take care of Arthas' wounds. They didn't need to look for one because I was capable of necromantic magic so I could treat Arthas wounds myself. Not to mention that Calia was a priestess.

I brought Arthas to the nearest guest room with Varian's help. Calia held the door open for us so that we didn't need to put Arthas on the floor to get in the room. We sat Arthas on the bed, Varian and Calia held him so that his injured, bleeding upper body didn't come in contact with the blankets and pillows.

"We have to close his wounds. He may not be able to bleed to death but I don't like to see him suffer longer than necessary" I spoke and regarded Arthas' upper body closer. The holes, cuts and yawning wounds were not life-threatening but I was sure that they were causing a lot of pain for him. Losing all of his blood wouldn't kill him, still, I didn't want that his blood would be spilled over the floor.

"I could help you close the wounds" offered Calia.

"That would be great. He may be an undead but the light is supporting him so he shouldn't get hurt when you use the holy light to heal his wounds. Your help would be great" I responded and gave Calia a nod. She nodded in return and carefully placed her hand on one of the yawning wounds in Arthas' back. She closed her eyes and began to mutter phrases. Her hands started to shine golden as she began to treat the wounds in his back. I used dark magic and necromantic spells to take care of the wounds on Arthas' chest and belly.

Two priests arrived a few minutes later. One of them was a female draenei with white skin, silver coloured hair, light grey bent horns and golden eyes. The other one was a large, bulky male human with black hair and a goatee. The draenei was wearing a silver coloured dress while the man was wearing a white and golden coloured robe.

They regarded Arthas' body for a few moments before they joined us and helped us healing Arthas' wounds. It took us a while to close each of his wounds but we made it eventually. Arthas had been silent the entire time. He had barely moved during the process which had made things a lot easier. I had given him a calming smile whenever I had noticed him looking at me.

I had thanked the healers for supporting us. They told me that it was a pleasure for them to do me a favour. They said goodbye to us before they left with Varian. Calia was the only one who remained in the room besides Arthas and me. She was sitting on a chair and regarded Arthas and me with curiosity.

Arthas was still sitting on the bed and stared at his hands which weren't injured anymore. He hadn't said anything since we had brought him into this room. I didn't want to push him to say something so I just sat to his left and regarded him silently.

He moved his head eventually, looking directly at me.

"Jaina..." he spoke, staring into my eyes.

"Yes, Arthas?" I asked and leaned forward.

"Are you real?"

I chuckled. "I don't know, Arthas. Am I?" I responded and put my hands on his cheeks, caressing them softly.

"Your touch feels real to me"

"I guess I'm real then"

"But... I'm confused" he responded, still holding my gaze.

"What confuses you?" I asked, my voice sounded soothing.

"When you and me... When we had... When we made..." he stuttered. I noticed that it was hard for him to find the right word he wanted to say. It was unmistakable that this situation was too much for him. He didn't really know what was going on right so it was hard for him to comprehend everything.

"Calm down, honey. Nobody is pushing you. Take your time and ask me anything you want to know as soon as you are ready" I spoke and put my arm around his shoulder, moving closer to him.

He looked at Calia for a short moment before he looked back at me. "When we made love, you changed out of sudden. You didn't look like the Jaina I used to know. Instead, you looked like one of them. What happened? Are you one of them? Or was it just a bad dream?"

I put my hand under his chin and stared into his sky-blue eyes. "No, it was not a dream"

A frown appeared on his forehead and he raised an eyebrow as he regarded me with a confused look on his face. I put my index finger on his lips, signalizing him that I wanted to explain everything. He still had this confused look on his face when he signalized me that he would listen.

I took a deep breath and exhaled. "As you can see, I can breathe. The reason for that is that the Burning Legion kidnapped me after our dispute. They brought me to their base and transformed me. I've been turned into dreadlord. I may look like one but I'm still the Jaina you know. I'm still the Jaina who has freed you from the Lich King's control. I'm still the woman who loves you more than anyone else"

Arthas only regarded me silently. He lowered his gaze and looked down at his hands when I placed mine in his and intertwined our fingers. I brought one of his hands to my lips and kissed it softly. The corners of his lips formed a small, barely recognizable smile. But other than that, his expression didn't change at all.

"How can I know that this is not one of Mal'Ganis tricks? Who tells me that you are really the Jaina I love with all of my heart and not an imitator?"

I leaned in and brought my mouth to his left ear. "Well, no imitator could know the details of our sex life. They wouldn't be able to tell which positions you prefer and what perverted fantasies you have. Just remember one of the presents I gave you for your last birthday"

I pulled away and chuckled when I noticed that he was blushing a little. He didn't look at me for the first moments but then his gaze found mine and he stopped giving me this expressionless look.

"There are also other secrets I kept in my mind. I had made sure that nobody would be able to get these memories. The spell I had used had been very complex and I had needed a lot of time to complete it, but it had worked in the end. You can ask me anything you want. I'll answer any questions you may have"

"There is no need to. I believe you. You wouldn't have saved me from this crazy woman if you wouldn't be my Jaina" he announced and wrapped his arms around my back, pulling me in a tight hug. I returned the hug, caressing his back carefully. All wounds had been healed so I could do that without hurting him.

"You said you are alive again, right?" he asked after almost five minutes of silence.

"Yes, I am. I don't need to breathe to survive but I can still do it. I don't need to eat or drink but I can digest food. I don't need to sleep but I could if I wanted to. Also, my heart beats again and blood flows through my veins" I explained and stared into his eyes, wondering what he would say in return.

"That's awesome" he responded and gave me a wide smile, taking my face in his hands. "I don't know what I would give to be alive again. Except for becoming a demon, I would do everything to be alive again. Being alive would mean that we could have a normal relationship"

"But our time together would be limited. In our situation, we can be together forever. You are already dead so you can't age and I'm a demon. Demons can't die of old age. They don't age at all. Basically, demons can live forever if they don't die in the Twisting Nether" I told.

I leaned in and attached my lips to his. Arthas returned the kiss and parted his lips, allowing my tongue to enter his mouth. His tongue invaded my mouth and started the fight for dominance. I was about to win when Calia cleared her throat, signalizing that she was still in the room. I pulled away, blushing a little. Arthas chuckled and rubbed the back of his head, smiling nervously.

His smile faded and his face became serious again "But we wouldn't be able to reproduce if I would stay undead, wouldn't we?"

"Well, you are right. Normally, undead creatures are not able to reproduce but..."

"But what?" he asked and put his hands on my shoulders, pulling me closer to him so that I slide onto his lap.

"But it seems that you are an exception" I spoke and put my hands on my belly, smiling when I noticed that Arthas' and Calia's eyes widened when they realized to what I was referring to.

His jaw dropped "Wait... Are you...?" he asked.

I nodded and took his hands in mine, stroking the backs with my thumbs. "I'm pregnant, Arthas" I announced happily. I was grinning like a Cheshire cat. My heart beat so rapidly in my chest that I was afraid it would explode.

Arthas was silent for a few moments but he didn't look away from me nor did his face signalized that he was shocked about the news. I guessed that a lot was going on in his mind so I gave him time to order his thoughts.

He caught himself eventually and looked at his sister who was giving us her brightest smile. He looked back at me and made a happy face. "Oh Jaina. These are some good news. I don't know what to say, to be honest"

"You don't need to say anything. I can see it in your eyes that you are really happy"

"You are right, I am happy. I've always wanted to have kids with you. There was a time where I haven't been ready for being a father. But that was a long time ago. I have thought that we would never be able to have kids after I realized that we are both undead. To be honest, I have never imagined that this could be possible. By the light, I'm so happy right now" he responded and pulled me closer against him so that my front was pressed against his muscular exposed chest. I chuckled and rested my head on his shoulder, closing my eyes as he ran his fingers through my blonde hair.

"Are we really getting a baby? This is my kid as well as yours?"

"Yes, we are getting a baby and it would be a human child. A full human child. Not a half human half demon baby. A real human. The demon who has controlled me has made sure that our kid will be human"

"But she is a demon. She could have lied to you"

"I've already tested it. The spell I have used has told me that this child will be a real human" I explained. Arthas caressed the back of my head and pressed a soft kiss on my forehead. I turned my head and looked at Calia who was sitting on the bed and regarded us.

"I can't believe that I'm becoming an aunt. I've feared that our family would become extinct after I heard that you two became undead but it seems that fate is on our side. The Menethil bloodline will continue to exist. I'm so happy right now" she spoke and rubbed her eyes with the backs of her hands. She didn't manage to prevent that tears of joy ran down her cheeks. I smiled at her and signalized her to come closer.

"I have told you in the past that I can't have children, so I have always been afraid that our family will never sire children again after the Lich King took control over you, dear brother. I have expected that we would be the last Menethils after Jaina's death and resurrection. I'm glad that this nightmare didn't come true"

"I'm still sorry for this" I responded, signalizing her that I was really meaning it.

"I've accepted it. At least you are able to continue our bloodline"

I took her hands in mine, smiling at her as an idea came in my mind. "We could meet up with Alexstrasza, the Dragon Queen and talk with her about your problem. She is the Aspect of Life, so she should be able to find a solution to this problem. We should try it at least"

"It's worth a try" convinced Arthas and smiled at his sister who returned it.

"Alright but first we have to deal with the Burning Legion. We can meet the Dragon Queen after the Legion's defeat" responded Calia.

I nodded to her "Yes. Defeating the Burning Legion is more important right now"

I put my arms around Calia and Arthas, pulling them closer. They wrapped their arms around the other and me, pulling me into their hug. We kept sitting like this for half an hour, doing nothing else but holding each other. We separated eventually. Calia sat back on the armchair while I slipped onto Arthas' lap. He toyed with my hair and placed soft kissed on my neck while he was looking at his sister who was regarding us with a happy smile on her lips.

* * *

Even though Calia wanted to stay with us longer, she had to go eventually because she got tired and was barely able to keep her eyes open. She was a human after all so she had to sleep.

She hugged us before she said goodbye and walked to the room's door. She looked at us for the last time before she left the room and closed the door behind her.

Jaina pulled herself closer to me and sat down onto my lap, wrapping her arms around my neck. She didn't hesitate and kissed me, parting my lips with her tongue. Her skilled tongue sneaked in my mouth and explored every reachable corner. She ran her fingers through my hair as we deepened the kiss while I toyed with strands of her blonde hair and wrapped some of them around my index finger.

Jaina's left hand caressed my cheek softly. She pulled away eventually and rested her head on my shoulder. I put one hand on the back of her head, caressing it softly. She closed her eyes and wrapped her legs around my waist, pulling herself closer once again. I chuckled quietly and wrapped my arms around her upper body, putting my hands on her back.

We stayed in this position for a while. We were not sure how many hours had passed as we opened our eyes. I put my hand under her chin, lifting it up a little. Her beautiful blue eyes stared into mine, her lips formed a happy smile. We kept staring into each other's eyes for a while, not saying anything.

Jaina was the one who broke the pleasant silence after a while. "I want to show you something"

"I'm curious what it is" I responded and let her go, allowing her to get off my lap. She moved a bit away from me, chuckling when she saw the curious look on my face. I couldn't wait to see what she wanted to show me but I remained patient and didn't push her.

She closed her eyes and muttered a few words. Out of sudden, her body started to glow white. Her body glowed so brightly that I had to hold my hands in front of my eyes to not get dazzled by it. Fortunately, her body stopped glowing after a few minutes.

My eyes widened and my jaw dropped as I regarded her from head to toe. It was an understatement that I liked this change. I freaking loved it. I had always admired Jaina's appearance, no matter if she was alive or undead.

I had gotten used to her undead appearance and I really loved it. But the love for this look was nothing compared with the love I felt for the look of the living Jaina. My mouth was wide open as I stared at Jaina's changed appearance. She was not looking like the Frost Lich she had become after she had been raised. She didn't look like a demon either. Instead, she looked like the innocent, young woman I had fallen in love with.

The colour of her hair looked more like gold than blond. Her hair was loose and almost reached to her breasts. Her skin's rosy colour looked very healthy. Her blue eyes hadn't changed at all but her outfit had.

She was wearing the same robes she had worn as an archmage when we had investigated the plague in Lordaeron. She looked as beautiful as she had looked back then. Only a blind person would deny that she looked astonishingly beautiful. The word beautiful was an understatement. She looked gorgeous, astonishing, stunning and also marvellous. There weren't enough words to describe her beauty. My heart would have stopped at this very moment if it would have still beaten in my chest.

It was impossible for me to look away from her. She was capturing my imagination and I couldn't tear my eyes off her. There was nothing I could do except looking at her. I wasn't even able to say something. I just sat there and stared at her. She chuckled and put her hand under my chin, caressing it softly.

"I assume that your reaction means that you like it" she said shyly. I didn't know why she was so shy. She had no reason to. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. And the most confident as well. Maybe she was just insecure if I would like her 'new' appearance.

"I do" I responded and moved closer to her, putting a hand on her cheek.

"Really?" she asked quietly and stared into my eyes.

My lips formed a smile as I caressed her cheeks. "Of course"

Tears of joy built up in the corner of her eyes but she managed to hold them back. Our lips met a moment later, our tongues danced together. The kiss became wilder and more passionate. Our tongues wrestled and fought for dominance but none of us won.

I felt Jaina's hands on my still exposed upper body. She rubbed my muscular chest, then her hands trailed down to my stomach muscles. Her hands toyed with my abs while her tongue went wild in my mouth.

Meanwhile, my hands were busy taking Jaina's purple dress off. I managed to do that without her help, pulling away as I dropped the dress on the floor. I leaned back a little to scrutinized her body. The underwear she was wearing accentuated her already well-formed body much better.

I didn't blush when I noticed that something increased in size as I ogled her. Her sexy underwear made her irresistible for me. She giggled and removed her bra, laughing when she noticed the desire in my eyes.

I crawled to her and connected my lips with hers. I put my hands on her well-formed ass and began to knead it softly. She moaned into the kiss, biting my bottom lip softly. One of her hands pulled the waistband of my pants while the other sneaked in and touched the stiff 'object' between my legs.

I moaned into the kiss as she started to work magic with her hand. Of course, I wouldn't allow that I was the only one who was receiving pleasure so I started to rub her southern lips through the fabric of her panties. Her moans became louder but she didn't break the kiss. I removed her purple panties eventually, putting my left hand back on the spot I had rubbed while my other hand moved up to her two large melons.

"Oh, Arthas" she moaned out loudly as I pressed my thumb on a certain spot.

"Don't worry, my love. I will make sure that you will say my name over and over again until you can't take it anymore" I whispered and I took her right earlobe in my mouth.

"Don't you dare to not satisfy me until I can't move my body anymore" she said demandingly and began to kiss my neck.

"Don't worry. I will make you scream my name more than just one time"

"I'm already so excited" she teased and bit her bottom lip.

"I know, I can see and feel it" I teased back and bit her neck, leaving a love bite behind.

She removed my pants and looked at the area between my legs. "But you as well"

I chuckled. "What can I say? It's impossible to not get aroused when seeing a naked goddess"

Jaina's expression was by far the happiest I had ever seen on her face. It was unmistakable that she was truly happy at this very moment. Who could blame her? She was alive again and was together with the man she loved. She had become pregnant even though she hadn't believed that she would ever get pregnant by me after our break up and reunion. It was only understandable that she was really happy. Same was I.

Jaina didn't say something in return to my compliment. She just gave me a seductive look. She spread her thighs, giving me a good look at her shaved womanhood. "Come closer, Arthas. I won't bite. At least not now" she spoke with a very erotic voice.

"Let the fun begin" I responded and got closer to her, ready to share some long-lasting intimate moments with her.

* * *

The loud voice of a very happy boy echoed through the corridor. "Mommy, mommy. Look who is visiting us"

Marcus was standing between the opened door and the door frame and regarded me with huge sparkling eyes. He expressed his happiness by jumping up and down and clapping with his hands. He signalized me that he wanted to be lifted up by me. Even though he looked much younger than he actually was, he was at least as tall as an eight-year-old which meant that he had grown out of the age where children were carried by their parents. Still, I bent down and pulled him up, holding him above my head for a few moments before I put him down.

He gave me his brightest smile as she continued to stare at me. He didn't greet Jaina, nor did he look at her. Basically, he ignored her totally. I didn't show that I was not happy that he was behaving like this when Jaina was around. Instead, I scratched my forehead shortly and lifted my head, expecting that his mother would arrive soon.

I had only heard that she had been freed from the demon's control and that the mages and demon experts had declared her as harmless. I wanted to see it with my own eyes before I would allow that she could stay in my son's near.

She arrived half a minute later. She was wearing a beautiful blue dress which was decorated with flower patterns. Her blonde hair, which was longer than usual, reached to her shoulders. Her face was covered my slight make-up and she was wearing earrings which looked like flowers. Her lips formed a wide smile when she caught sight of me. Her smile didn't fade but her eyes widened in surprise when she noticed that Jaina was standing next to me, resting a hand on my back. She regarded Jaina for a few moments, then she stepped aside, inviting us to come in.

Jaina scrutinized the woman for a short moment before she entered the room and headed for the nearest pair of chairs. She sat down on the left one, putting her hand on the right one, signalizing me to take a seat there. I chuckled and rubbed my son's head softly. I gave his mother a thankful smile and walked over to Jaina, obeying her command like a loyal dog. Of course, I was not her dog but I knew that contradicting her would only end badly for me so I obeyed her without doubting her decisions.

She put an arm around my shoulder, leaning against me as she snuggled closer to me. It was unmistakable that she wanted to show dominance and signalize Vanessa that I belonged to her. Vanessa's expression didn't change as she walked over to us and sat down on the opposite chair. She crossed one leg other the other and put her hands on her lap, relaxing a little.

"It seems that you have decided to change your appearance. Now you look like your former self. I have to say that this is a very accurate illusion" spoke Vanessa eventually and regarded Jaina from head to toe. I noticed that her gaze rested long on Jaina's face, her thighs and her exposed cleavage. She was having a strange look on her face which I couldn't assign to any known emotion. Maybe she was just jealous.

The corner of Jaina's lips formed a small smile "This is no illusion"

Vanessa tilted her head, a frown appeared on her forehead. She regarded me with narrowed eyes for a few moments before she looked down at Marcus who was pulling on her arm to get her attention. He was looking at her, signalizing that he wanted to sit on her lap. She gave him an expressionless look for a short moment. At least, her facial expression changed after a few moments. She put her hands on his hips and lifted him up, putting him on her lap.

Marcus was a very fascinating young boy. He was vivacious and playful. He was always happy, never sad and never bored. And he had no problems being around undead creatures.

But he was also a very 'special' boy. It wasn't worrying me that he looked like an eight years old child but was actually ten. It didn't worry me either that he was smaller than most children of his age. What worried me a little that he was behaving differently than other children of his age. He wanted to be carried as much as possible and he wanted to sit on his mother's or my lap all the time. He didn't want to do something alone nor did he want to leave the room and meet new friends. There were a lot of opportunities to meet new friends but he never used them. Instead, he stayed in this room and played with his toys all day.

All in all, he was a very admirable boy and I was happy to have him even though Jaina was not his mother. I will always love him and will never prefer Jaina's and my children over him. All of my children will be equally loved by me. He was no exception because he was different.

"No illusion? What do you mean?" Vanessa asked eventually and gave us a curious look.

"Well, it's a long story. To shorten it a bit, let's say that the demons tried something with Jaina which resulted that she is now alive again" I responded and put my hand on Jaina's left hand, caressing its back softly.

"Alive like really alive? So, she has to breathe, eat, drink, sleep and all this stuff humans do?"

"Well... I don't need to do these things but I could if I want to. But I have a beating heart and blood runs through me. Not to mention that I am able to reproduce" responded Jaina. I raised an eyebrow as I looked at her, silently asking her why she had mentioned this. There was no need to tell Vanessa that she was able to give birth to my children. I was pretty sure that it was her pure intention to tell her about this. If only I could know why she had done this and what she wanted to achieve.

Maybe she saw in Vanessa some sort of a rival and wanted to show her who was the alpha. Maybe she also wanted to let Vanessa know that she wouldn't be able to rub it in Jaina's face that she was the mother of my only child. She didn't tell her that she was pregnant with my baby. She just hinted that Vanessa wouldn't be the only mother of my children. I was just hoping that this wouldn't end in some sort of a catfight. I had not the nerves for that. Not while the Burning Legion was still a threat for Azeroth.

Vanessa was silent for a few moments. She even ignored our son who tried hard to get her attention. She just stared at Jaina with narrowed eyes, her fingers tapped on the table top nervously. She pursed her lips and gave Jaina a dangerous look as she tilted her head. Then she looked out of the window for a short moment before she looked back at us. This time she was having a calm expression on her face. She was even smiling at us.

"I'm so happy for you. If only Arthas would be still alive so you two could make a baby" she responded and put her arm around Marcus, pulling him closer to her. I could be mistaken but somehow, I assumed that she was feeling some sort of malicious joy. I guessed that she thought that I couldn't make Jaina pregnant. So, she was happy because she thought that she will forever be the mother of my only child. Maybe she was wishing that we would get closer one day because of your child. If only she would know that Jaina was expecting a child from me.

I was only sure about one thing. It would be a bad idea to tell Vanessa that Jaina was pregnant. She may be freed from the Legion's control but that didn't mean that I trusted her. I had no reason to tell her the truth and perhaps cause that she would do something stupid. I didn't want that both of them would get hurt. I would be happy if both women would find a way to get along with the other. But I assumed that this was too much to ask. Hopefully, their discord wouldn't end in a bitch fight. Or worse...

"Thank you" responded Jaina and put her right hand in mine, intertwining our fingers. This 'thank you' didn't sound like a normal thank you. It sounded more sarcastically. "I'm also glad that the Burning Legion doesn't control you anymore"

"Yes, I'm happy about that too. I don't want to imagine what they would have forced me to do. Not to mention that I would have never been able to see our son again"

"Don't worry" I said, looking at her. "We will make the Burning Legion pay for their crimes. We will make sure that they will never control you again. We will protect you. You have my word"

"Thank you, my prince" she said quietly. She rested her chin on the palms of her hands as she regarded me with a small smirk on her face. She turned her head a little, her smile became wider as she noticed the annoyed look on Jaina's face.

I wrapped my arm around Jaina's shoulder and pulled her closer. I put my hand on her right upper thigh, rubbing it slowly and gently. I smiled at her as I noticed that she relaxed a little and the look of annoyance vanished out of her beautiful face. She put her hand on mine, squeezing it softly and ensuring me to continue. She was really enjoying my gentle touch on her upper thigh.

"So, what do you do now?" she asked curiously.

"You mean about the Burning Legion?" I asked.

She nodded.

"I'm not sure, right now. We have to meet up with King Varian and the other leaders of the Alliance and speak with them"

Jaina looked back at Vanessa as she began to speak. "Varian was also controlled by the Burning Legion. I'm pretty sure that he has managed to convince the other leaders that we are on their side again and want to defeat the Burning Legion as fast as possible. Hopefully, they have already made a plan"

"Hopefully" responded Vanessa and took a sip from her cup of tea without breaking eye contact with Jaina. I frowned but didn't say anything about the looks the two women were exchanging. I just sat there and held hands with Jaina while I watched my son playing with his toys. He looked so peaceful and adorable while he did that. It was a great pleasure to watch him play.

Vanessa, Jaina and I talked a little. To be honest, I talked with Jaina and Vanessa while the two barely changed a word. Most of the time, they spoke with me and ignored each other. I tried to establish a conversation between them but it turned out to be impossible to convince them for a conversation of only a few minutes. In the end, they barely had exchanged a few phrases as we stood up after three hours.

I hugged Marcus and kissed his forehead, wishing him goodbye. It was unmistakable that he was sad that I was leaving this room but his mother explained to him that I had to do important things for the safety of all living beings on Azeroth. Marcus understood that I had to go for now but he was still glum.

At least his mood became better as I promised him that I would gift him something the next time I would see him. I hugged him one more time before I got up and waved goodbye to him and his mother. Vanessa gave me a small smile, then her facial expression became expressionless again as she looked at Jaina.

Jaina took my hand and squeezed it softly. She stepped on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss on my lips, giving Vanessa a triumphing grin before she walked out of the room. Vanessa had an annoyed look on her face as I looked at her for the last time before I left the room as well and closed the door behind me.


	42. Return

_Stranger's POV_

I woke up with a start and looked around, trying to find out where I was. It was too dark to recognize anything but at least I noticed that I was sitting on a smooth surface which seemed to be very firm. I closed my eyes, hoping to hear noises. I heard sounds but they didn't come from my surroundings. The sounds were made by my body. It was my heart which was beating rapidly in my chest.

I frowned.

My heart hadn't beat for over a decade. A beating heart meant that I was alive but I died over a decade ago. I had given my life to prove my loyalty to the Lich King. But how was it possible that my heart was beating again?

I moved my left hand and put it on my face. My eyes widened when I realized that my skin was warm. But it was supposed to be as cold as ice.

_What is going on?_

My hand rested on my face until I was sure that I wasn't imagining this. Did this mean that I was alive again? Really alive? The last thing I remembered was that this whore had burned my body after these souls had heavily injured me.

I shook my head slightly, trying to figure out what was going on. I let my hands roam over my body, noticing that it was barely covered by armour. Only my breasts and the area between my legs were covered.

I explored the surface I was sitting on, finding its edges very quickly. I assumed that I was sitting on a table. My assumption was confirmed when my eyes got used to the darkness after a while. I moved to the edge of the table and lowered my left leg slowly and carefully until my toes came in contact with the floor which was warmer than I had expected.

I put down one foot, my other foot followed quickly. I looked around as soon as I was standing safely on two legs. I noticed the outlines of a few shelves, tables and cupboards. I also saw a closed door about five feet away from me. I didn't hesitate and walked to the door, not caring that someone or something could stop me. I opened the door and left the room, following the bordering corridor.

I spotted large demons which were stationed alongside the corridor. The demons didn't pay attention to me. They just stood there and stared at the other guards who stood in front of the opposite wall. The red carpet beneath my feet was soft and its frays tickled my skin. I didn't stop walking nor did I took a closer look at the many paintings which hung on the corridor's walls.

I didn't know how much time had passed when I arrived at the end of the corridor. But I didn't care anyway. I looked at the two demons in front of the heavy door which was decorated by lots of glowing green symbols.

I recognized the left one as a succubus with pink skin and two wings which came out of her back. Her armour barely covered her well-formed breasts and the area between her legs. Her lower legs and her knees were covered by firm-looking black skin which reminded me of scales. She had hooves instead of feet and a long, thin tail which she was swaying playfully.

She licked her lips when her eyes roamed over my almost nude form. I looked into her beautiful face, noticing the desire in her eyes. She made a step forward, wanting to touch me but she was held back by the second demon. I shifted my gaze, looking at the demon who was spoiling her fun.

It was also a female but she was not a succubus. Also, she didn't look like the typical women I had met before my demise. Besides her beautiful face and her by armour covered breasts, nothing of her reminded me of a humanoid woman. Maybe her exposed blue-skinned muscular belly. But other than that, she looked more like a monster than a humanoid being.

She had long pure-white hair which reached to her ass. She had two long ears, which told me that she had once been an elf before she had been transformed into this twisted creature. Two massive twisted black horns came out of her forehead. These horns were at least four times larger than her head.

Her right arm and her left leg were covered by light purple coloured armour which was decorated by golden lines and symbols. But her left arm and right leg looked totally different. First of all, these body parts weren't covered by armour. These limbs looked twisted and had a dark purple colour. They were much more massive than the demon's normal limbs and were decorated by glowing tattoos in the form of twisted lines.

It was unmistakable that the left arm and the right leg were corrupted. It surprised me that only half of the former elf's body looked so different. As far as I knew, the entire body of a humanoid creature changed when its owner received demonic power. But it seemed that she was an exception. She seemed to be special at least.

She was carrying a green glowing massive blade, which was almost as large as her, on her back. She stretched her left arm out and caressed my cheek with her normal hand.

"Look what we have here" she said. Her voice was the entire opposite of her look. I had expected that her voice would be loud and rough but instead, it was low and smooth. Her hand wandered and caressed my chin, lifting it up. I didn't respond. I just stared at the taller woman whose green glowing eyes regarded me with interest.

"You are the death knight who has dedicated her life to the Lich King, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am" I responded. My eyes widened a little when I noticed that my voice didn't sound like a cracking door. Instead, it sounded humanoid. It was higher than normal voices but not as high that it could be counted as shrill.

"Come" she spoke and gestured me to follow. I spotted her long tail for the first time as she turned around and opened the door with her demonic hand. She swayed her hips and tail when she walked. A loud dull noise sounded whenever one of her hooves came in contact with the floor.

I followed her without hesitation and without asking questions. We walked for a while through a very dark corridor. I was able to recognize the outlines of a few demons but other than that I didn't recognize anything which stood in the corridor.

The room, in which we arrived, was at least illuminated so that I was able to recognize my surroundings. Inside the room stood nothing remarkable except for the massive throne on which a huge demon was sitting. He was at least five times taller than me and had red skin which was partly covered by green glowing symbols. He sat there casually and regarded me with his green glowing eyes, not showing any form of interest.

The demon, who had guided me, stopped when she was about sixty feet away from the throne. She bent down and lowered her head in respect. I stared at her for a short moment, then I raised my head and stared at the demon in front of us.

I didn't know who he was and why I was here. I didn't know where I was and what he wanted from me. I only assumed that he was very powerful. I assumed that he wanted something from me. I was curious what it was.

The corners of his lips formed a smile when I signalized him that I was not afraid of him. He leaned forward and regarded me closely. I tilted my head and stared back at him.

"It seems that you are not afraid of anything. That's good" he spoke eventually. His voice sounded deep and rough.

"That's right" I responded shortly, still staring into his green eyes.

He chuckled and leaned back in his throne, lifting his left arm "I could use someone like you. Its a shame that fearless warriors are a rarity these days" he spoke as he regarded his claws.

I didn't respond to him. I just stared at him and regarded him from head to toe once again. I noticed that he had massive wings which were folded behind his back. Flames were wrapped around his massive horns which were a lot larger than his head. His finely chiselled features became serious as he turned his head and looked back at me.

"You are Selania Wildreaper, right?"

"Yes"

"I guess you are asking yourself why you are here"

"I do but I'm also asking myself why I'm almost naked and why my skin has a dark red colour. And of course, I want to know too why I'm alive again"

"I brought you back as a demon. That's why you are alive again" he spoke and leaned forward, regarding me with curiosity.

"Why did you do that?"

"Because I need fearless warriors for my crusade"

"Why should I serve you?" I asked and tilted my head, showing him once again that I was not afraid of him. There was no way that I would work for him only because he had resurrected me somehow. He had to give me something else if he wanted me as his servant. I wouldn't work without getting a proper reward.

He smiled, soft laughter escaped his lips. "Because I can offer you vengeance"

"Vengeance?" I asked and raised an eyebrow, showing him that this had aroused my interest.

"I know that you have a score to settle with a certain woman who has scattered your hopes and dreams. Not to mention that she took your life. She destroyed your life, literally"

"You mean HER?" I asked and made a few steps in his direction,

"Yes, I mean HER" he responded and gave me a wide grin.

I knew exactly who he meant. He was referring to Jaina Proudmoore. Even thinking about this name filled me with rage. This dumb whore had destroyed everything I had built up over a decade. She had destroyed my hopes and dreams by corrupting the Lich King's mind. She had driven me away and caused that the Lich King had lost interest in me.

She had become Arthas' favourite sex kitten and had gained more and more influence over him. Her return had caused that the Scourge had become weaker and weaker as Arthas' humanity had started to return. It was her fault that the Scourge had lost influence because she had twisted the master's mind.

_She will pay for everything she has done. She will pay for stealing Arthas, stealing my position and destroying my hopes and dreams. She will suffer and die slowly. I will burn her body the same way she has burned mine. She will wish that she would have never returned to Arthas after I'm done with her. She has taken my life and I will take hers in return._

I noticed that I had stared at the floor and had clenched my fists while I had thought about this whore and what she had done to me. My body was tensed and I gritted my teeth.

I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. I opened them again after I became more relaxed. I looked back at the demon on the throne who was regarding me with a small smile on his lips. The female demon wasn't kneeling anymore. Instead, she stood to my right and regarded me as well.

"What is your answer?" she asked and put her normal hand on my shoulder, turning me around so that I was forced to look at her.

"First, I want to know how your master will grant me my revenge"

"He will give you enough power and minions so that you are able to face Jaina Proudmoore and kill her" she responded and stared into my eyes without showing any kind of emotions.

"How can I trust you?"

"Why shouldn't you trust him in the first place? He brought you back and allows you to live again. He has no reason to betray you"

"How did he bring me back? My body was burned to ashes. There is no way he could have brought me back"

"He found your soul and made a new body for you. A much stronger body which would resist most of Jaina Proudmoore's spells" she responded and caressed my chin with her hand. Her touch was soft and caused that shivers of excitement ran down my spine.

"A new body?" I asked confused and looked down at me. Except for the red skin colour and the larger appearing breasts, I didn't notice any changes.

The demon snapped with the fingers of her normal hand, causing that a mirror appeared. My eyes widened when I saw my reflection for the first time. My body looked so weird. I didn't look like a humanoid creature or an undead being. Instead, I looked like a demon with humanoid characteristics.

I had huge horns which came out of my forehead. These horns looked similar to the demon's next to me but mine were smaller than hers. Also, my horns weren't bent like hers. Mine looked more like a slightly bent line while hers were almost bent like a half circle.

My ears were small but pointed and my eyes glowed greenish. My left arm looked similar to her corrupted arm but mine was not as massive as hers. None of my legs were corrupted. They looked like normal demon legs with hooves instead of feet. Unlike her, I had no long tail.

I was wondering why I hadn't noticed the horns and the hooves earlier. I must have been so distracted by the new situation that I must have missed these body changes. I stared at my reflection for a few more minutes before I looked at the demon on the throne. He was smiling widely and toyed with a knife as he regarded me.

"How are we doing this? Do I sign some sort of a contract?"

"Yes, we do. I will give you enough power to wipe the floor with Jaina Proudmoore. In return you will oblige to serve me forever and obey each of my orders" he responded and gave the female demon a sign. A contract appeared in her hands as she snapped with her fingers. She gave me the contract, a feather and a knife, signalizing me to sign with my blood.

It surprised me that I was able to decipher and understand every word which was written in a language I had never seen before. I read through the contract carefully, checking for hidden loopholes. I didn't find any of them so I cut the palm of my hand with the knife and dipped the feather's tip in my blood. I skimmed through the contract for the last time before I signed it with my own blood. I noticed that the huge demon had already signed so I handed the contract back to the woman. She regarded it for a few moments before she walked out of the room with it.

"It's decided. You are now officially a servant of the Burning Legion" he spoke and leaned against the back of his throne.

"I can't wait to let Jaina Proudmoore suffer for everything she has done to me" I responded and smiled mischievously as I thought about thousands of ways to torture her.

"Be patient. You can have your vengeance soon but for now, other tasks have a higher priority"

"Which tasks?" I asked impatiently.

He chuckled. "Meet up with Sayvenna and ask her. She was the right hand of my former wife who has planned the entire campaign. After my wife's death, she has taken over. She will tell you what to do"

"Who is this Sayvenna?"

"She is the demon who brought you to me"

Sayvenna...

Sayvenna... This name sounded familiar to me but for some reason, I couldn't remember anything about this name. For some reason, I assumed that this former elf was no stranger to me. Maybe I had known her before my demise.

I tried to remember her but I noticed that I only remembered things which had happened after Arthas had turned me into a servant of the Scourge. I didn't remember anything about my previous life. So, I couldn't know who this woman was. I only knew for sure that I hadn't met her after I joined the Scourge so I must know her from my previous life. At least I assumed that.

"Who is she?"

"Hmm?"

"For some reason, I think I know her but I don't remember her"

"You should ask her that. I have no clue if you know her or not"

"Fine, where can I find her?"

"Just follow the corridor she has taken. At the end of the corridor is a very large door. Knock at it and she will open and let you in. Then you can talk" he responded and pointed at the door through which the demon had disappeared.

"Thank you" I said and turned around. I left without addressing him as my master nor did I bow to him. A wide grin was visible on my lip as I walked away without saying goodbye. I followed the mentioned corridor until I came to the door I was looking for. I didn't hesitate and knocked at it, waiting patiently before it.

The door opened a few moments later and Sayvenna's head poked out. "Ah, there you are" she spoke and opened the door completely. "Come in"

I stepped inside the room and looked around, regarding it closely. The room didn't look very special. There were a few pieces of furniture every person had - like a table, chairs and a bed but also a few shelves which were filled with random stuff.

The floor was covered by a blue carpet which didn't harmonize very well with the blood red coloured walls. On the walls hung a few torches which illuminated the room. There were no decorations or paintings on the walls. All in all, the room was held very simple.

Sayvenna walked over to the bed and sat down at the edge. She pointed at the nearest chair, offering me to take a seat. I accepted her offering and sat down, regarding her with interest.

"So, who are you?" she asked and starred into my eyes.

I frowned and raised an eyebrow. "Who am I? I have already answered this question when first we met".

_Why is she asking me this? She knows who I am. I have already told her that._..

"You have just told me your name. You didn't tell me who you are"

_What does she mean? This is so confusing._..

"I am Selania Wildreaper"

"That's your name but I want to know who you are. Not your name" she responded; her voice was louder this time. She stood up and walked over to me. She stopped right in front of me and rested her hands on her hips, regarding me with narrowed eyes.

"I don't understand..."

"Are you an independent individual?"

"Yes, I guess"

Her response sounded very strict. "No, you are not. You are a servant of the Burning Legion and you will do everything Lord Thel'zaron and I will demand from you. Is that clear?" She bent forward and lowered her head until it was at the same height as mine.

She regarded me with narrowed eyes, her strict expression reminded me of the faces my warrior trainers had made when they had trained me during my youth. It was unmistakable that this woman demanded respect and wasn't in the mood for jokes. I knew I shouldn't get on her nerves or contradict her. The best was not to tangle with her.

She looked at me as if she demanded an answer from me. I didn't know what to say so I decided to just look at her and hope she would repeat whatever she had asked.

She tilted her head but kept staring at me. "Do you know what it means to be a servant of Lord Sargeras. Do you know what it means to be chosen by him?"

I frowned. "He has chosen me?" I asked irritated.

"He wouldn't have ordered Lord Thel'zaron to restore your soul, after it had been destroyed by the mortals, and create a body which is suitable for the power he has gifted you if he wouldn't have chosen you as his new champion. He has put his trust in you, so I would recommend you to not disappoint him. Not like his daughter"

"His daughter?" I asked curiously.

"His daughter was defeated by Jaina Proudmoore and her friends" she responded. Her voice didn't sound strict anymore. It sounded less unfriendly and more caring.

Jaina Proudmoore. Hearing this name again made me really angry. Dozens of wicked thoughts came in my mind. Thoughts about torturing her and killing her slowly. Thoughts about fucking Arthas right in front of her while she was receiving a slow and painful death. I wanted to end her life so badly. I would do everything to have my vengeance. I would do everything to kill this dumb whore. Even serving the Burning Legion forever would be worth if I would be able to end Proudwhore's pathetic life forever.

"My goal is to kill Jaina Proudmoore and I will do everything to achieve that goal. Any method would be fine for me, as long as she dies" I responded and stood up. She moved with me so that our eye contact didn't break.

"Good"

"You said she killed the Lord Sargeras' daughter?"

"Yes, she did but she didn't do that alone. Calia Menethil, Varian Wrynn and a few leaders of the Scourge helped her. Lady Rissya's mistake was to underestimate Jaina Proudmoore. She could have killed her much earlier but she has toyed with her. Her arrogance costed her life. I recommend you to not do the same mistake" Her voice was lower than before and her eyes didn't stare into mine. Instead, they stared at her feet. I was not sure but I had the impression that she was sad for some reason.

I chuckled. "I did the same mistake once. I didn't plan on making the same mistake twice"

She looked up again, her green eyes stared into mine for a few moments before they looked back at the floor. "You should know that Lady Rissya made Jaina Proudmoore to a dreadlord because she had hoped she could control her easier. Unfortunately, that backfired horribly. Jaina Proudmoore is now stronger than ever and is a dangerous threat even for powerful demons like us"

"Don't worry, I will avenge Lady Rissya's death" I spoke and put a hand on her shoulder. She lifted her head and looked at my hand. She lifted her head once again, staring into my eyes.

"Lady Rissya was more than just a mentor for me. She was a friend... More than just a friend to be honest. I have loved her and she has loved me. I didn't care that she was married to Lord Thel'zaron. I didn't care that she had loved him as well. He has never loved her. He had only used her to satisfy his needs or as a tool for his plans. I was the only one who ever returned her love. Lady Rissya and I have been able to be together for over eight hundred years even though she was married to Lord Thel'zaron. I loved her with all of my heart. I would have done everything for her. But now she is gone...Killed by Jaina Proudmoore" her facial features changed.

She broke eye contact and stared down at her feet again. The facial expression she was making was the entire opposite of the expression she had shown a few minutes ago. She was not behaving like the merciless, strict commander anymore. She acted like a humanoid being who had lost an important person. She had a hard shell but a soft core. This proved that she hadn't turned into a monster when she had received demonic powers. She was a vulnerable humanoid being who had feelings like every other creature.

I had always seen demons as mindless, brutal beings who did everything their master demanded from them without thinking about it. I had always thought that these creatures had no consciences, no morals, no hearts and no feelings. Most of the demons I had met were like this. But she was different. She had feelings. She was something special. She was one of the only demons who hadn't been turned into complete monsters.

"I know how it is to lose a person you love so dearly" I responded and put my arms around her shoulders, pulling her closer until her head rested on my chest. I smiled as I rubbed her back. "I have lost my husband and my family and then I lost Arthas Menethil, the love of my life, to Jaina Proudmoore. I was his mistress when I have worked for the Scourge but then this filthy bitch came and took him away from me. I will make her pay. For everything.

Sayvenna looked up at me, the vulnerability was still written all over her face. We stared at each other for a few minutes, not saying anything. She cleared her throat eventually and stepped away from me. Her facial expression became serious again. "I will help you with that. I will train you, make you stronger and show you how to defeat a dreadlord. I will prepare you against Proudmoore's deadly arsenal of spells. We will hunt her and take her down together"

"Yes, we will" I responded and smiled at her, "Lord Thel'zaron mentioned a few tasks I have to fulfil before I can go after Proudmoore"

"Ah, yes. I almost forget about that. Hmm... We should train first, then I will tell you what you have to do to bring victory closer for the Burning Legion"

"Alright" I responded and smiled at her. I could swear that I had seen a small smile on her lips for a few seconds. This could get more interesting than I had expected.

* * *

Knocks at the door brought me out of the slight slumber I had been in. I opened my eyes and lifted my upper body. I turned my head, checking my surroundings. I spotted Arthas who was sitting on a chair on the other side of the room, far away from the door. I stretched my back before I got up and walked to the door. I didn't hesitate to open the door without looking through the peephole to see who was knocking at the door this early.

My eyes widened in surprise when I spotted a familiar person. It was my brother Tandred in his blue royal navy uniform. The only thing which was missing was his brown hat. He hadn't changed at all over the past years. I knew that he was in his mid-thirties but his full-beard made him look older than he really was. Like his beard, his blond hair was well-groomed and not too long.

His eyes lightened up, his lips formed a happy smile when he saw me. He didn't hesitate and hugged me, lifting me in the air a little. He whirled me around and put me back on the ground after a few moments. It was unmistakable that he was happy to see me. And I was happy to see him too.

"Jaina" he spoke and pulled me in another hug. "I'm so happy to see you. It has been a while since we last met"

I returned his smile. "Yes, it is. I saw you last in Boralus when I fled with Arthas after I have freed him from the Lich King's control"

"That's almost two years ago. A lot happened since then. I've heard that you are alive again. I couldn't believe these rumours so I have decided to visit you personally and see it for myself. It's an understatement to say that I'm glad that these rumours are true. I'm almost freaking out. I'm so happy for you" he spoke and squeezed me a bit harder. He pulled back eventually and regarded me from head to toe, then he turned his head to Arthas and regarded him as well.

Arthas came closer to him and stretched his arm out, offering him a welcoming handshake. Tandred didn't hesitate and accepted the handshake, regarding Arthas with curiosity and interest.

"So, you two are together again, right?" he asked. He regarded us curiously and addressed Arthas when we gave him confirming nods. "My dear sister has always spoken so highly about you. Her admiration for you has started when she met you for the first time. She has told us so many times how brave and kind you are. She has told us a lot about Lordaeron, the inhabitants and your family. She always went into raptures about your look and your intelligence. She was really happy back then. Until you broke up with her of course. It would be a lie to say it was not hard for her to get over the break-up. She has really struggled to assimilate that she wouldn't be able to spend time with you. This was a pretty hard time for her"

Tandred looked at me as I put my hand on his shoulder. He was frowning and raised an eyebrow as I gave him a comforting look. "We have already spoken about everything. There is no need to remind me about these dark times. You don't have to make him feel guilty. We have agreed to never talk about this topic again"

Tandred wiped a strand of hair out of his face and gave us an apologizing look. "I'm sorry Jaina. I was not planning on talking about this. I just wanted to say that I'm happy that you have found each other again after all these years. I'm happy that you still love each other. I'm happy that you have rekindled your relationship and suppressed the bad memories of the past. You two have suffered enough over the years and a lot of obstacles had been standing in your way. But you two found a way to surpass them. I'm so happy for you". His voice trembled a bit when he spoke the last sentences.

I gave him a small, sympathetic smile when I saw that a few tears formed in the corners of his eyes. He blinked them away and looked at the floor, a little ashamed of himself. I chuckled and wrapped my arms around his shoulders, hugging him. Of course, I had to step on my tiptoes to reach him because he was so tall. Even taller than Arthas. We stayed like this for a few minutes, closing our eyes as we enjoyed the other's embrace.

We pulled away eventually, looking at Arthas who was smiling at us. Tandred got closer to Arthas and put his hand on his shoulder. "I saw you last on the day where Jaina introduced you to our parents. I remember how happy she was when she has found out that our parents approved your relationship"

"I remember that day. Jaina was happier than ever. We had celebrated the well went introduction by staying up late and drinking lots of wine. Mostly we talked during that night.

Tandred chuckled. The corners of his lips formed a mischievous smile. "Of course, you did that. Of course". He patted my back softly and gave me a teasing smile before he looked at Arthas who was looking as if he didn't know what was going on. I was pretty sure that he knew that Tandred didn't believe us that we had just talked that night. He just pretended that he didn't know what he meant, hoping that Tandred would stop teasing us.

Arthas leaned over to me and spoke so quietly that only I was able to hear him. "Your brother doesn't know that your mother caught us doing IT that night, right?"

"I don't know, to be honest" I whispered back, trying hard not to blush. I looked back at my brother, noticing that he was regarding us curiously.

"What are you whispering, little love birds"

"Nothing" I responded and rubbed the back of his head. He wrapped his free arm around me and pulled me closer to him.

I cleared my throat and looked up at Tandred, addressing him with my next question. "How is mother doing?"

He made a thoughtful face for a short moment. "Hm. She is doing fine, I guess. She is very busy with ruling over Kul Tiras. Recently, she is also meeting King Varian very often. There are negotiating about a possible collaboration between the Alliance and Kul Tiras. She doesn't show it very often but I'm pretty sure that she misses you. She has heard the same rumours as I have. She's just not sure if they are right. She doesn't believe - or doesn't want to believe - that you have become a demon. I know you didn't want to become a demon, still, she is not sure what to think about this. All of this is too much for her. You just need to give her some time"

I put my hand on his shoulder and smiled at him. "Don't worry, I will. I will meet her when she is ready. Until that day, you can try your best and put in a good word for me"

He smiled back. "Of course, I will"

"Thank you for your help, Tandred"

He chuckled. "That's nothing. You are my sister after all. It doesn't matter if you are alive, an undead creature or a demon. You will always be my sister and I will always support you"

His words touched my heart. His words weren't that special but for me they were. I had suffered many times during the past. People of importance for me had lost their lives, even if only temporarily. My father, Master Antonidas, Arthas, Vissia, Rhonin and Uther. I had lost my mother's trust and her love for me. My family and friends had doubted me after I was turned into a marionette of the Scourge. People had insulted, injured and beaten me. Sylvanas, Velonara and Selania and many others.

My mother hadn't supported me when had I returned to her. But my brother had. He had shown sympathy for me and had supported me whenever he could. He had accepted me how I was and had never regarded me as an abomination. I didn't know if I would have been able to get through this hard time without his support and the support of my friends. He had given me hope and strength. He had convinced me to continue trying to free Arthas with all necessary methods. It didn't know what I would have done without his support and sympathy.

"Thank you, Tandred. This means a lot for me" I whispered as I hugged him. We held each other for a few minutes, not saying anything. Arthas stepped to him after we had pulled away. He shook his hand and expressed his sincere thanks.

"You don't have to thank me. Every brother would do that for his sister. I will always support her. No matter what will happen"

I smiled at him and pointed at the nearest comfortable armchair. "Come, take a seat, dear brother. You have been standing all the time since you entered the room. We would be terrible hosts if we would let you stay there all the time. Not to mention that we didn't offer you anything to eat or drink"

"It's okay" he responded and lifted his hands politely.

"No, it's not" I responded and pointed at the seat. "Sit down and relax"

He walked to the armchair and sat down. Muttering a few words was enough to conjure a plate of food and a goblet of exquisite wine. Tandred gave me a thankful nod and took a sip of wine. He regarded the plate and picked up an apple, taking a bit. "Hmm, that's very delicious" he spoke with a half-full mouth. He ate the apple noisily and took a banana, eating it as well. We took a seat on the nearest chairs and regarded him while he was eating these delicious fruits.

"What happened in the past few years? Has something changed in your life? I asked, resting my hands on Arthas' hands as I looked at my brother.

He leaned back in his chair and put his hands on the back of his head, running his fingers through his hair. "Well, I've been doing good so far. I've trained a bit over the years and spent a lot of time with mother. I've helped her ruling over Boralus. I've also helped her getting over father's death. It was not easy but together we had managed to get through this phase of grief"

My gaze left Tandred's face and shifted to my hands. Guilt overcame me as I remembered the quarrel with my father. Without me, he would still be alive. Without my betrayal, Tandred would still have a father and my mother would still have a husband.

"It's my fault that he died" I muttered. My voice was low, weak and filled with grief. I was responsible for his death. I had helped the Horde to kill him. Tandred may not be mad at me but I was pretty sure that my mother still was. I knew her well enough to assume that the chances that she would forgive me were very low.

Negative emotions started to overwhelm me. I was so depressed at this very moment that I couldn't think clearly. I had thought that I had accepted my father's death. The truth was that I hadn't.

The transformation had made my feelings for certain persons stronger.

I loved Arthas more than ever. The same counted for my family and friends. The hatred for those, who had ruined mine and Arthas' future as the royal couple and later rulers of Lordaeron, had been increased as well when I had been turned into a dreadlord. I hated the Burning Legion more than ever and I had sworn to myself that I will make them pay for everything they had done.

But that this very moment, the Burning Legion was not what I was hating the most. It was me who I was hating. I was hating myself for betraying my father. I knew I had my reasons back then. I also knew that my beloved father had killed innocents. His death had been necessary to make peace between the Horde and the Alliance. Still, I hated myself for having caused his death. I didn't care that my actions had been right and had saved the lives of many innocents. I just hated myself.

I stopped thinking about my father when I felt a soft hand on mine. I lifted my gaze slowly, looking at my brother who was rubbing my hand and giving me a comforting look. "I can see it in your eyes that you are hating yourself right now. You think you are responsible for father's death. I have already told you that you are not responsible for his death. Father was a man of honour. He was brave and a very good father but he was not faultless. Killing dozens of innocent orcs wasn't right. I wish there had been another solution to make peace between the Horde and the Alliance. Unfortunately, there has been no other solution. In the end, his stubbornness and hatred for the Horde costed him his life. It was not you who dug his grave. It was him all by himself who dug his own grave with his actions". He paused for a moment as he took a deep breath. "You know, we can't change the past... so we should stop reproaching ourselves. We should leave the past behind us and concentrate on the future"

I didn't break eye contact with him. "I'm not sure about this... I still feel guilty... I thought that I have accepted his death. I thought I've accepted that I was not responsible. But at this very moment, I feel very guilty for some reason. I cannot explain why I feel this way, to be honest"

"You shouldn't be so hard with yourself" he responded and smiled at me. He put his hand on my right cheek, caressing it softly. I returned his smile and held his gaze for a few moments before I turned my head and looked at Arthas who was giving me a comforting smile.

He put his arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer to him. "Listen to your brother. He is right. Like him, I hadn't been there when it happened so it's hard for me to form an opinion about this. But after everything you have told me, I believe that you did this for the safety of hundreds of thousand innocents. Not only those your father wanted to kill. Numerous innocent citizens of the Alliance would have fallen as well if you wouldn't have prevented war between the Horde and the Alliance"

"I think you two are right" I responded, sounding anything but confident.

"I believe that you made the right choice" statemented Arthas, pulling me even closer to him. I regarded his handsome face, stroking his cheeks. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am" he responded and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me onto his lap. I rested my head on his shoulder, closing my eyes. I was enjoying his gentle touch as his hands stroked my cheeks and toyed with my hair. I snuggled closer to him, smiling when he placed a soft kiss on my forehead.

I opened my eyes after a while, lifting my head to look at Arthas who was still smiling at me. I put my arms around his neck, pulling his head down to press a soft kiss on his lips. He returned the kiss, putting one of his hands on the back of my head to deepen the kiss. We withdrew after thoroughly exploring each other's mouths with our tongues.

I turned around eventually so that my back was pressed against Arthas' front. This also allowed me to look directly at Tandred without needing to twist my neck. He was still sitting in the armchair and was regarding us. Happiness was written all over his face.

He just looked at us without saying anything. His face became serious after a few minutes. "How was the meeting with King Varian and the other leaders of the Alliance?"

"It was good. We discussed how to proceed against the Burning Legion. I told Varian that Thel'zaron's castle stands in the middle of the Hellfire Peninsula in Outland. We know where he is but we don't know how many servants he commands. Nor do we know how many tricks and trump cards he has in his sleeves. We have decided, after a long discussion, that we stay careful and scout the area first before we attack his castle" I told.

"So, you check every area in Outland or only Hellfire Peninsula?" he asked.

"Every area"

"That's very wisely. It will take longer but it's better that you stay careful. Rushing things would only end in a catastrophe"

"I agree" said Arthas and took a couple of grapes, bringing them to my mouth. I smiled and allowed him to feed me with these delicious fruits. He smiled as well and regarded me for a few moments before he looked back at Tandred.

"Would you tell me everything you know about them? I can share the information with mother. Maybe this would make it easier for her to agree on supporting the Alliance if she knows how dangerous these demons really are. Hopefully, she will notice that the Alliance really need the help of Kul Tiras"

"I can tell you but this could take a while"

"Take your time" he said smilingly and brought his glass of wine to his lips, taking a sip.

"Fine. I will tell you everything I know"


	43. Tragic reunion

_Three months later_

Loud screams of injured and dying soldiers echoed through the air. Weapons clashed against weapons. Weapons clashed against armour and flesh. Weapons cut through flesh and bones like a hot knife through butter. The battle was raging around me. Soldiers of the Alliance fought together with servants of the Scourge against a common enemy.

The Burning Legion. But those bastards weren't alone. The Horde was assisting them, equalizing the balance of power. It was still a mystery for me how the Horde could support the Burning Legion after everything they had done to Azeroth. But it seemed that the Horde regarded us as the greater evil. Or they just had been manipulated by the dreadlords and their false promises. I had been turned into a dreadlord, so I knew how the Burning Legion convinced mortals to join them.

I was still shocked that Thrall had made a deal with the demons. I was pretty sure that Sylvanas had convinced him to do that. This crazy bitch would do everything to kill my Arthas, so she wouldn't refuse to cooperate with these demonic bastards.

I was standing in the middle of the battlefield, surrounded by allies and enemies. I had created an arcane barrier around me so that I would be protected against arrows, spells and weapons.

The battle was taking place right in front of Thel'zaron's castle. It was a shame that the owner wasn't joining his troops in battle. This could have given me the opportunity to make him pay for everything. For everything, his intrigues had caused. The fall of Lordaeron, my death and the deaths of hundreds of thousand innocents. But the most important thing was that I wanted to avenge Arthas' corruption and death. Well, he was not dead - not technically but he was not alive either. He was a death knight. And Thel'zaron will pay for that as well.

Arthas was not far away from me. Together with a group of six paladins, he pushed forward and forced soldiers of the Horde and servants of the Burning Legion back. His group was a dozen feet away from the entrance to Thel'zaron's castle which had been forced open by a massive battering ram.

Like the battering ram, the double doors were completely destroyed. This meant that only the demons and their allies could stop the attackers from invading the castle. But the defenders weren't fulfilling their purpose at all. They were decimated by our allies. Here and there they managed to kill members of the Alliance and Scourge but in the end, they lost more soldiers than we did.

Even though both armies were equally strong, our soldiers did better in killing their enemies. Three weeks had passed since the battle of Hellfire Peninsula had started. The battle had started in the east and had moved to the middle of the area where the residence of the demonic mastermind Thel'zaron was located.

He and his son Mal'Ganis were the only members of the demonic leadership which remained. Of course, there were other armies of the Burning Legion and other powerful and influential leaders of the Burning Legion but they weren't involved in the campaign of Azeroth. Maybe they were busy on other planets or in other galaxies of the universe. I didn't know that. I only knew for sure that they wouldn't support Thel'zaron and his followers.

Three months ago, Varian, the other leaders of the Alliance and I had decided to bring the fight to Thel'zaron to end this once for all. His servants had tried to sabotage us during our preparations but we had taken out most of them before they had been able to do bad things. They had been victories one or two times but other than these exceptions, we had prevented that they would have assassinated our leaders or would have destroyed our resources.

The siege continued. Arthas and his group broke through the enemy frontline and drove them back. Arthas shouted a few commands, signalizing our soldiers to follow him. The demons and the warriors of the Horde did their best to hold them back but they were powerless against the mass of soldiers. Even though most demons were stronger than the average soldiers of the Alliance and Horde, the died after getting hit one or two times by one of the paladins. The holy light was the most effective weapon against these miserable creatures. The paladins were super effective against the mass of demons.

Especially Arthas. He needed only one swing with Ashbringer or Light's Vengeance to bring down a large demon like a wrathguard. Sometimes, he even killed two demons at the same time. He had trained hard for two months to master using both weapons at the same time. It really impressed me that he only needed one hand to hold one of these large and heavy weapons.

Most of the paladins I knew would have been able to hold only one of these weapons. I didn't know anyone who was able to hold both weapons and fight with them as smoothly as Arthas did.

Arthas had become even stronger over the past months. He had even surpassed Uther and Tirion on their peaks of power. From day to day the light was making him stronger. The light didn't only make him stronger, it also protected him. A golden glowing barrier was wrapped around his body and protected him against most attacks and spells. He hadn't done anything to create this barrier. It had appeared out of nowhere one day. This barrier made his attacks against his enemies more effective and strengthened his armour as well.

Arthas knew he was strong and superior to his enemies. The average enemy had no chance against him. Only the infernals and pit lords held out longer against him but even they fell without being able to defend themselves. But Arthas was not underestimating his opponents. He was always careful and didn't do anything rashly.

He wore the firmest paladin armour which had been forged by the best dwarven blacksmith in Ironforge. His old friend and former trainer Muradin had handed the armour to him a week before the invasion on Outland had started. The armour was very massive, letting him appear like a brute. It was really impressing me that Arthas was able to move very quickly and agile in this rock of an armour.

The armour was made out of true silver which belonged to the firmest materials blacksmiths used to create armour and weapons. The truesilver had been coated with pure gold, letting it shine brightly in the sun. But there was no sun in Hellfire Peninsula or in Outland in general so the armour didn't dazzle the creatures in Arthas near. The coat of arms of Lordaeron decorated the corselet. The 'L' consisted of brightly shining sapphires.

Arthas was even wearing a helmet which protected his entire head. Only his blue eyes were visible through the small slits. The armour wasn't missing a blue cape either. It looked similar to the cape of the armour he had worn before the fall of Lordaeron. Overall the armour was not only expensive and looked very good, but it was also protected him very well. It was by far the best paladin armour I had ever seen.

I didn't need to worry that someone could hurt Arthas with a surprise attack because I knew that the armour would protect him. But I was still worried about him because I knew that Thel'zaron's and Mal'Ganis magic were much stronger than the magic of the mages, warlocks and other spellcasters of the Burning Legions and the Horde. I knew that this armour was very effective against magic but I didn't know how long it would stand against the magic of two mighty dreadlords. That's why I always remained in his near so that I could protect him if the worst would come.

Arthas had his armour and I had transformed in my demon form which made me a lot faster, more resistant and a lot deadlier. Even a single spell was enough to kill a large group of enemies. Killing dozens of demons or Horde soldiers wasn't a problem for me either. Even a few strikes with my claws were enough to take down a large armoured tauren.

Most of the blood elves, goblins and trolls were smart enough to avoid me because they knew that they had no chance against me. I didn't know if it was their codex for honour or their small brains which persuaded a lot of orcs to charge at me and try to kill me in close combat. Of course, they had no chance against me. Not even in close combat. I was very deadly with my claws and with my wands.

I killed a boisterous orc at the very moment where I saw out of the corner of my eye that Arthas and his group of paladins entered the castle. I shouted loudly, commanding everyone to follow him. Groups of soldiers broke through the remains of the defending frontline, following Arthas quickly. I helped a group of mages to deal with a large pit lord, then I accompanied them to the entrance. We passed the shattered gate and entered the entrance hall where the battle was already raging.

There were lots of demons and Horde soldiers located in the gigantic room. I assumed that there were at least three thousand enemies which were fighting or waiting for an opponent. I knew immediately that we were outnumbered. But that didn't affect our morality. We were one hundred percent sure about this battle. We knew that the enemies were stronger than expected but we weren't weak either. We didn't hesitate and rushed into battle, supporting Arthas who was killing dozens of demons away with the help of his paladins.

We killed a lot of demons and their allies, forcing their frontline back so that more of our people could enter the entrance hall and support us. Our enemies also got reinforcements which poured out of the wide corridor which was bordering on the entrance halls. I got closer to the corridor, creating a thick ice wall, as soon as I was in range, which prevented that any of the demons' allies could come to their help.

Not to mention that no demon or soldier of the Horde could flee to the inner of the castle. The only way out was to break through our frontline which was nearly impossible. A blockade of soldiers had been formed in front of the shattered gate. Their main task was to prevent that any enemy could escape but they were also here to assist us.

I summoned frost, fire, arcane and even fel fire elementals. A total of twelve elementals surrounded me and bombarded the nearest enemies with deadly spells. I used magic as well, killing a lot of enemies within a few seconds. My mage group mimicked a few of my spells and threw them at the enemies. They were less effective than mine but still strong enough to take out a large group of enemies.

I looked around while I prepared a spell, noticing that Arthas was still fighting at the frontline. He did very well in killing demons and Horde soldiers. Even stronger demons like pit lords, dreadlords and even inquisitors were no problem for him. They vanished as quickly as they had appeared. It almost looked like the armour made him far less affected by their attacks. He never staggered when he got hit by stronger blows, which would have broken lots of bones if he wouldn't have worn this majestic special armour. Here and there were left a few scratches on the armour but all in all the armour wasn't damaged nor was Arthas injured.

The battle for the entrance hall was brutal and long-lasting but, in the end, we managed to force the demons to retreat, meaning that we were able to take the entrance hall. This was only one of the many victories which were necessary to win the war. The entrance hall was only one of the many areas in the castle which were heavily guarded.

We made a pause, collecting our dead. We brought them out of the castle before the necromancers began to raise the fallen enemies. Varian, the other leaders and I had decided that we wouldn't raise our own soldiers but that didn't include the fallen enemies. We could use every single soldier we could get, meaning that we didn't shrink back from raising the enemy.

Half an hour later, we grouped up and decided to follow the bordering corridor. But first, our mages checked it for hidden traps. Fortunately, there weren't any.

The corridor led us to a massive staircase which was guarded by dozens of demons. Half of them were wrathguards while the other half consisted out of various demon races. I spotted a few of Sylvanas' archers who were standing on top of the staircase, arrows nocked and ready to be fired. I knew that their arrows were deadly and hardly ever miss their targets but we had very skilled mages, including me, which knew exactly what to do.

We created an arcane barrier which protected the paladins from the dark rangers' arrows and from the spells of the inquisitors. The paladins reached the staircase's half where most of the demons were waiting. The skirmish was faster over than expected. All demons and dark rangers were killed but we had also lost about two dozen soldiers. The demons' bodies dissolved so we couldn't raise them but the archers' bodies were still here so we were able to compensate our losses.

We claimed the staircase eventually, following another corridor which led us to another large room. In contrast to the entrance hall, this room was guarded by far fewer creatures. These creatures were only demons, none of them was a member of the Horde. In the middle of the room, on top of a small plateau, stood a female demon which looked very different from the other demons.

She was very tall, had blood-red coloured skin and huge circular-shaped horns. The tattoos on her face were as green as her eyes. Most of her body was covered by armour. Only her flat stomach and her head were uncovered. She carried two large green glowing swords on her back.

The demon was just standing there, regarding us with interest. My eyes widened when I noticed that a body lied to her feet. She chuckled and picked it up, throwing it in our direction.

The body landed directly in front of my feet. A loud scream escaped my lips when I recognized the familiar shape. Right in front of me lied the desecrated body of Vanessa Wildflower.

* * *

_Two months earlier_

_**Selania's POV** _

"Who are you?" the blonde woman in front of me shouted and pointed the dagger's tip at my throat. Her hands were shaking nervously, her widened eyes expressed fear. My gaze shifted from her to the young blond boy who huddled behind a green armchair. I made a disgusted face as I regarded him. I looked back at the hysterical woman in front of me, smiling when I noticed that she was in panic. Her hands began to tremble heavily, almost causing that the dagger fell out of her hand.

"You can guess three times" I spoke and made a step away from her, regarding her with an amused grin on my lips.

"Stop playing with me, whore" she shouted and stepped closer to me so that the tip of her dagger was pressed against my neck.

"Whore? Is that what people call their sisters these days?"

"What are you talking about?" asked the familiar woman, giving me a look of confusion.

"I'm trying to tell you that I'm your sister" I responded, smiling mischievously.

She tilted her head, regarding me from head to toe. "You? You want to tell me that you are my sister? Nice try"

I don't know what is so funny about this" I responded, signalizing her that her laughter was annoying me.

"My sister was killed years ago. She was raised by Arthas Menethil and served him until she was killed by an unknown mage. My sister was raised as a member of the Scourge and not as a dreadlord. Even as a death knight she looked much better than you do, piece of shit. Now leave me alone or I will promise you that you will wish that you were never born"

I chuckled. "I've never expected that you would say such things to me". I grabbed the hand which held the knife and pushed it away, disarming her within a second.

"Tell me who you are, demon" she demanded and pointed at me, walking closer to the armchair behind which Marcus was hiding.

"As you wish, _little princess_ " I smiled when I noticed the baffled expression on her face. She hadn't expected that I would know the nickname I had given her during your childhood. I closed my eyes and focused my power, changing my form.

I opened them again, chuckling when I spotted the amazed expression on her face. Her eyes were widened, she was biting her bottom lip hard and I was able to hear that her heart beat rapidly in her chest. I walked over to a chair, taking a seat eventually. I regarded the plates of food in front of me with interest before looking back at my speechless sister.

She cleared her throat after a while, regarding me with narrowed eyes. "Are you trying to fool me, demon"

"Why should I?"

"Because you are breaking in my room and threatening me and my son"

I tilted my head. "YOUR son?" I smiled when looking in Vanessa's surprised face. She was silent for a few moments. She did nothing except standing on the same spot and staring at me. She caught herself after a while, clearing her throat.

"What do you mean?"

"Stop pretending that you don't get what I'm referring to. Only us two and Marcus know about his secret. I shoved her aside and walked to Marcus who wasn't looking that afraid anymore. He was still hiding behind the armchair but at least he didn't seem to fear me.

"So, you are really my sister?" Vanessa asked. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and regarded me with narrowed eyes. It was unmistakable that she didn't want to believe me.

"Yes, I am"

"Prove it" she demanded.

I chuckled. "I was already referring to it. Do I really have to speak it out loud?"

"Yes, you have to".

I groaned. My sister was really getting on my nerves. I had always been the smarter person but I had at least expected that she would know about what I was talking.

"Marcus is not your son. He is mine and I'm here to take him back"

She clenched her fist, her narrowed eyes stared at me dangerously. She bit her bottom lip hard.

I tilted my head. "What?"

"No" she responded, taking a knife out of the nearest drawer.

"No?" My voice reflected my lack of understanding. "What do you mean with no?" I asked and approached her, taking the knife out of her warm hands.

"You abandoned Marcus after you have found out that he is different. He didn't turn out the way you wanted him. You walked away and left me no other choice than taking care of him. He would have died if I wouldn't have taken care of him. I won't give him to you. Not if you mistreat him again. He is a humanoid being after all. And a child as well.

I chuckled amused. My sister really thought that this boy was normal. The truth was that he was not. He was everything but a normal boy. He was an abomination.

"Is he? Look at him. Does he look like an average human child for you?" I asked. I looked back at my sister who was having an upset look on her face.

"He does"

"He is smaller than most boys of his age. He plays with toys all the time and has no friends. And he is behaving like a four old boy and not like a ten old boy" I announced.

"He doesn't need friends nor is it forbidden to play with toys in his age. He may be a bit different but that doesn't give you permission to abandon him for no real reason. You are his mother. You should love him with all of your heart"

I stepped closer to Marcus, looking at him disgusted. He looked very hurt as he hid behind his chair. Tears were formed in his eyes but he didn't cry. He kept sitting there and regarded me with curiosity but also fear written over his face. I was about to reach out for him as Vanessa grabbed my hand, preventing that it could touch Marcus.

"What are you allowing yourself" I hissed and freed my hand with force. I would have punched her right in the face if I wouldn't have stopped myself at the last moment. I spat at her and shoved her away, walking over to Marcus. He protested and lashed out but none of his blows hurt in the slightest way.

"Take your away hands from my son" my sister shrieked as she rammed me with all of her weight.

"How many times do I have to say that he is not your son. I have gotten pregnant by Arthas and have given birth to his son. It was me and not you"

She was giving me a furious look as she came closer. "You may have given birth to him but you never spend time with him. You abandoned him and gave him to me as you left him to follow Arthas to Northrend. You died for the first time and left him alone with me. I have taken care of him alone and made a pact with the Scourge to make sure that we both survive. You never gave a fuck about him. You only want to use him to remind Arthas on which side he should be. Marcus is nothing but a tool for you. You don't love him but I do. I love him like the son I never had. You were blessed by the gods. because you were allowed to carry out Arthas' child. I had no such luck" she made a small pause, regarding Marcus for a short moment before she stared back into my eyes. "Marcus doesn't deserve a heartless mother like you. He deserves a mother who takes care of him. He deserves me"

The look on her face told me that she meant it this way. It seemed that her love for Marcus had been build up over the years where they had spent a lot of time together. But I didn't care about her opinion. Marcus was my child and I will use him to convince Arthas to join the right side. I shoved my sister away and stepped to Marcus, lifting him up.

I wrapped my arms around him, wanting to carry him away. But he resisted. I didn't know what was going on in his mind but for some reason, he didn't want to be taken. "I don't want to go with you. I want to say with auntie"

"You will go wherever I decide" I responded and stared into his eyes, signalizing him that I was not joking.

"NO" he screamed.

"NO?" I shouted aggressively and shook him violently, dropping him to the floor. "You will do whatever I say! Is that clear?" I shouted as I stared at him with furious eyes. He was sitting on the floor, fear was written all over his face.

"Selania stop it, you crazy bitch" shouted Vanessa.

I turned around and pressed my sister against the nearest wall. "Did you just call me a bitch?"

"Yes, I did because you are one"

A loud slap echoed through the room as my hand came in contact with her cheek. I pulled her by the collar of her dress, lifting her in the air with ease. I ignored the widened eyes of the shocked Marcus as I flung his aunt against the nearest wall. She needed longer than expected to get back on her feet. "You wouldn't shrink back from killing him to archive your goals, wouldn't you? What kind of a mother are you?" she asked loudly and shook her head, disbelieving that I was behaving like this.

"I killed my husband and my children for Arthas. I don't care about sacrificing one life to bring him back to me. As long as I have him, I'm happy"

"Get in line, sister. I will be his lover as soon as Jaina Proudwhore is gone. What Arthas need is a real humanoid body and not a rotten corpse or the stinky body of a demon. You and Jaina are not worthy enough for him. You are both miserable creatures who shouldn't be allowed to live"

There were not enough words to describe how I was feeling at this very moment. First of all, I was very angry that my sister insulted me and tried to take my son away from me. Then I was really mad at her that she wanted to use my son to get closer to Arthas. But what made me really upset was that she wanted to have Arthas too. Arthas was mine. He didn't belong to Proudwhore or to this traitorous bitch, also known as my younger sister. He was mine. Only mine. Mine forever.

_What if Arthas refuses me? What if chooses Jaina over me? What if he chooses Vanessa over me? What if he tells me that he could never love me because his heart belongs to someone else? No... This couldn't happen. I will do everything in my power to prevent that Arthas chooses one of these filthy whores. I have to get rid of them. Of both of them. Jaina and Vanessa need to die if I want to be happy. There is no other way._

I stepped forward, staring into my sister's narrowed eyes. She was crossing her arms in front of her chest and giving me a strict look. I tilted my head, looked at Marcus and snapped with my fingers. He fell to the floor and stopped moving.

"What did you do?" screamed Vanessa and turned around to rush to Marcus but I grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "Let go of me, you crazy bitch" she hissed through gritted teeth. She tried to get free but my grip on her wrist was too strong. "What did you do to him?" she cried out again and punched me in the face. I groaned and loosened my grip, allowing her to get free. I ran my hand over my nose, regarding the green blood which stuck on my fingers.

"That really hurt"

"I hope so" she spat out and lifted Marcus' motionless body up. Tears ran down her cheeks.

"He is not dead. He is just unconscious, cry baby" I responded, turning my head to stare at her.

"I can't believe what you have become. I had hoped so dearly to see the sister I loved so much again. I still remember all the times where we had done things together. You had feelings back then. You had emotions even when you served for the Lich King. You loved your family... and Arthas. But now you are nothing more than an abomination which stops at nothing to achieve its goals. You would even hurt your own son to get Arthas. The woman I've known would have never done such things" she took a deep breath, making a small pause before she continued. "You have changed so much. The sister I knew and had once loved his dead. You are nothing but a mere shadow. You are just a shadow of your former self. You are not my sister anymore. You are a monster. A jealous, sadistic and filthy monster"

I tilted my head, smiling mischievously at her. "And you have become meaningless for the world and for me" A loud pained cry escaped her lips as the tip of one of my swords was bored into her left hip. She staggered backwards, managing to get the sword's tip out of her hip. "Are you insane?" she screamed and pressed her hands on the wound.

"No" I tilted my head and stared at her. "I just hate competitors" These were the last words I said to my sister before I thrust my broadsword through her chest. My lips formed to a satisfied smile as my sister stopped moving eventually.

* * *

I blinked, hoping that closing and reopening my eyes would change my surroundings. I wished that I was only hallucinating this. I wished that what I just had seen was not real. I didn't really like Vanessa, especially because she wanted me and hated Jaina. But I didn't hate her that much that I wished her death. She didn't deserve to die. She didn't deserve to die by the hands of a filthy demon.

I found myself staring at the desecrated corpse. I didn't know what to do at this very moment. My head felt heavy but empty as well. I was shocked. My mouth was wide open but no words came out. Seeing her corpse made me really sad. I may not like her but she was still the mother of my son. Her welfare was important to me, so her death really affected me.

I finally managed to look away from the body in front of Jaina's feet. I gritted my teeth as anger started to build up in me. I tried to control myself but the anger overwhelmed me. A furious cry escaped my lips as I pointed Ashbringer's tip at the demon and charged at her. A mischievous smile appeared on her lips as I came closer. The other paladins noticed too late what I wanted to do. They sprinted towards the demon but they wouldn't reach her at the same time as I would.

I swung my sword after the demon, snarling when she dodged it with ease. She hadn't moved at all. She had only needed to move her upper body to the side to avoid getting hit by the holy weapon. I tried to hit her with my second holy weapon but she pulled one of her two massive fel green swords from her back and parried my attack. She tilted her head and made an amused face.

She came closer, stopping right in front of me. She was so close that I was able to see my reflection in her eyes. I noticed that my face was distorted in anger and my eyes reflected hurt, loss and hatred.

I made a step backwards, drawing back my weapons so I could try to hit her again. She blocked my attack again, this time using both swords. Her smile became wider. This time she drew her weapons back and executed two precise and very quick swings. Her swords left deep cuts in my armour but at least she didn't manage to injure me. I looked down at me, noticing that I was able to see my tunic through the long freshly created slits.

I looked back at the red-skinned demon who was spinning her weapons in her hands. "I will kill you, miserable creature. And then I will kill the rest of your wicked kind" I roared out and charged at her again.

But once again, she parried my attacks and hit me in the chest with her foot. I dropped both weapons as I fell and landed on the floor. She walked to me and leaned over me, regarding me from above. She could kill me easily at this very moment because I was defenceless. But she didn't. Instead, she made a few steps backwards, regarding me with interest.

"I don't think so" she statemented and turned her head, looking at the six paladins who were standing a few feet away from her. She turned her head again and looked at the many spellcasters which were ready to shoot their prepared spells at her. One of them was Jaina who had created a sphere which consisted of fel fire. She was also having an angry expression on her face. The difference was that she was angry that the demon had hit me while I was angry about Vanessa's death.

"I advise you to not attack me" she spoke, looking at Jaina. A frown appeared on Jaina's forehead. She was still holding the fel fire sphere above her left hand, signalizing the demon that she was ready to fire it at her.

Jaina's response was a loud snort. She lifted her hand, increasing the size of her sphere. Her gaze shifted to me, relaxing when she noticed that I was back on my feet. "Why should we listen to you. Everything you say is a lie"

She chuckled. "Believe it or not but I have planned on being completely honest with you"

"I don't even believe that. I don't believe any word which comes from your forked tongue"

"I know that you are capable of many spells which could prove if a person is lying or not". A green glowing, rotating orb appeared between her and Jaina. Jaina snarled and created a blue glowing orb which was almost as large as the demon's orb.

"Now tell me why I shouldn't kill you right now. Tell me why I should listen to your twisted words before I lose my patience" asked Jaina. Her facial expression and her voice signalized that she didn't trust the demon.

"Because I have someone as my hostage who is very important for your precious prince" she responded and tilted her head. Her smile became wider as she saw the confused looks on Jaina's and my faces. She rammed one sword in the floor, lifting her free hand. She smiled as she snapped her fingers.

My eyes widened and a shocked sound escaped my lips as Marcus appeared right in front of her. I turned my head and looked at Jaina who was casting a spell at this very moment. She shook her head a few moments later, signalizing me that this was not an illusion. This meant that this demon had my son as her hostage.

"Who are you and what to do you want?" I hissed and made a step closer to her, holding the handles of my weapons tightly.

She turned her head and looked at Jaina. "I'm someone your _girlfriend_ should remember very well. I've caused a lot of trouble for her".

I turned my head, shifting my gaze to Jaina. She frowned and made a confused face. She looked at me, shrugging her shoulders.

The demon chuckled. "The last time we met, I was heavily injured by hundreds of souls and then my body was burned by you, Jaina Proudwhore. I will take revenge for that but first I will take everything you love"

I regarded the demon for a few moments before I looked at Jaina who was having a thoughtful look on her face. Suddenly, her facial expression changed as if something had come in my mind.

"No, this is not possible... I burned your body and we destroyed your soul during the battle of Warsong Hold"

The demon laughed and turned her back to us, walking a few feet away. She rammed the other sword into the floor then she turned around and regarded us with this familiar mischievous grin on her face. By the holy light, I would I love to burn this smile out of her face. But I couldn't because she had wrapped her left arm around my son. She could kill him within the blink of an eye. I was powerless and the others didn't dare to move either. Not even Jaina.

The demon turned around and caressed Marcus' left cheek. It really surprised me that he wasn't scared at all. He didn't say anything. He didn't make any sound nor did he look scared. He just stared at me and didn't fight back. This could only mean that he was influenced by a spell.

This demon had mentioned that she had been killed by Jaina.

How was it possible that she was still alive? Who was she and why was she so powerful? Did she kill Vanessa or was it another demon?

"TELL ME WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM MY SON" I shouted. I remained on the spot like a statue, not daring to make any move which could trigger the demon.

She chuckled. "I'm Selania Wildreaper. Jaina Proudwhore knows me very well. Same does the Lich King"

I looked at the two orbs, checking if she was saying the truth. She was. "The Lich King is gone forever" I shouted back at her.

"Are you sure about that?" she responded, her mischievous smile became even wider and nastier.

I frowned, raising an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

She just smiled at me, not responding to me.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN?" I shouted.

She chuckled. "Nothing. Anyways, what matters is that I have OUR son as a hostage"

Jaina inhaled loudly.

"OUR son?" I asked confusingly and made a step closer to her.

"Did Vanessa tell you that Marcus is her son? That was a lie. He is my child. Mine. Not hers. She only used Marcus to get closer to you because she still loves you. But I have already taken care of her. She won't cause problems for you anymore". She closed her eyes and muttered a few words. Her appearance changed. She didn't look like a demon anymore. Instead, she looked like a beautiful blonde woman. I assumed that she had looked like this before she had been killed and raised by the Lich King.

"Yes, Arthas, my love. Marcus is our son. He is not the son of my sister. No, he is OUR son. I'm his mother, Selania Wildreaper. And he wasn't fathered in that night where you, my sister and I had met for the first time. It had happened a few months after our first meeting. The corners of her lips formed a wicked smile when she saw the shocked expression on Jaina's face. Jaina's mouth was open but no words came out. She was as surprised, that I had slept with Selania more than one time during life, as I was. I looked at the two orbs, my eyes widened when I noticed that both were glowing greenish. Selania was speaking the truth.

The demon laughed.

"What do you want? Why are you threatening our son's life? Isn't he the most important person in your life?"

"No" she responded without hesitating. "You are the most important person in my life. I killed my own sister, my husband and my other children for you. I would kill every single creature on Azeroth only to be together with you. I would even do that if I could only spend one night with you. It would be worth it"

I was dumbfounded for a few moments. I didn't know what to respond to this. She was insane. No sane person would go that far for another person. She had killed her own family but she hadn't done that for me... She had done it for someone else who looked like me but was not me. She had done that for the Lich King but she didn't realize that the Lich King was gone. She didn't realize that I was a completely different person.

"You are wrong. You killed your husband and your children for the Lich King. But he is gone. There is no way that he will ever return. There is no way I could ever love you. Not in millions of years"

She laughed. "You better find a way to fall in love with me or something will happen to Marcus". She ran one of her sharp fingernails over Marcus' cheek, leaving a thin cut behind. A little amount of blood flowed out but didn't even whimper.

The Marcus I knew would have resisted against this woman or at least would have whined. But he didn't do anything. This was bad. There was nothing I could do at this very moment. I wish I could help him but there was no way for me to reach her without him getting hurt.

"You are crazy" I shouted, regarding her with narrowed and furious eyes.

"I've never said I'm not"

"You are a coward and an abomination. You hide behind an innocent child and use it as a shield. Marcus did nothing wrong"

"He is a freak. Just look at him. He doesn't look like a healthy child. He is way too small for his age and he behaves like a three years old kid. He is hopeless. He will never become a real man. He will always stay a child"

"You cannot know that. He is just a child. He will grow up and become a mature man. Just give him the chance. He will become a glorious man one day. He will accomplish many heroic deeds. I pretty sure about that"

"He is an irredeemable case. There is no way he will ever become a normal person"

"You will never know if you don't give him a chance"

"He doesn't deserve a chance. He only deserves salvation. But I may give him a chance if you listen to my demands and do everything, I want from you"

"What do you want?" I asked, making a tensed face while regarding her.

"First of all, I want you to take your helm off and come over here" she responded and pointed at the spot next to her.

I tilted my head, frowning as I looked at her. "What are you planning?"

"You will find out soon enough. Now come over to me if you want that Marcus lives" she demanded and held one of her sharp fingernails in front of Marcus' throat. I knew that I had no other choice if I wanted to save Marcus. There was nothing else I could do. She would slit Marcus' throat if I would do a single wrong move. I had no other choice. I had to walk over to her and do whatever she would demand from me. Maybe she will be inattentive for a moment so I could rescue Marcus. Hopefully.

I turned my head a little, looking at Jaina who was making a tensed face as well. She looked at me, giving me a nod. It was obvious that she was not very happy about the entire situation but there was nothing she could do to change it.

I closed my eyes for a moment. I opened them eventually and put my weapons on my back, removing my helm before walking to Selania slowly. She was grinning widely as she regarded me. She looked at Jaina, giving her a triumphing grin. At least, Jaina stayed calm and didn't react to her provocations.

I stopped right in front of Selania who was regarding me from head to toe. "You look better than I remember" she complimented as she came closer.

"What do you want from me?" I asked impatiently.

She tilted her head and smiled at me. She put her hand on my cheek, caressing it carefully. "Finally, we are together again"

I frowned. "We were never together. We both have been mind-controlled by the Lich King. Whatever we had was not real. I want nothing from you"

She chuckled. "Then we have to make it real". She leaned in and pulled my head to her, attaching her lips to mine. Her lips were warm and soft and felt good but they weren't Jaina's lips. I could lose my mind when Jaina kissed me. Feeling her lips against mine was one of the best feelings in the world. Jaina's kisses gave me the impression that my undead, non-beating heart would almost start beating again.

Selania's kiss was the entire opposite of Jaina's kiss. When her lips were pressed against mine, my body began to itch and cold shivers ran down my spine. My skin tingled nervously and my body felt a lot colder. I didn't kiss Selania back. I tried to pull away but her hand on the back of my head prevented that. Her tongue licked my bottom lip, trying to part my lips. I resisted and managed to pull away from her eventually. I made a few steps backwards and regarded her with narrowed eyes, arms crossed in front of my chest.

She tilted her head, fury was expressed by her narrowed eyes. But her anger faded quickly for some reason. She turned around, looking at Jaina who was making a very upset face. Selania chuckled and stepped closer to me, putting her arm around my shoulders. Jaina's eyes narrowed but she didn't say or do anything. She just stood there and regarded us. Her ankles were white when she clasped her wands tightly. It was unmistakable that it cost her a lot of strength to keep herself under control.

Selania laughed evilly. "I have a task for you, honey. You have to kill Jaina Proudmoore if you want that Marcus survives. I want her gone forever. Kill her and I promise that Marcus will survive and will be unharmed"


	44. Skirmishes

Killing Jaina? Was she serious? There was no way that I could ever hurt Jaina. But I couldn't let Marcus die either. Jaina was the love of my life. I would do everything to protect her. Especially because she was pregnant with my child. On the other hand, I couldn't abandon Marcus. He was also my child. I wouldn't neglect him because he wasn't the child of Jaina. He was still my son and I would do everything to protect him.

I was in a dilemma. I didn't know what to do. I had two options but I didn't like either of them. I would lose at least one member of my family with I would choose any of these options. Jaina and my unborn child would die if I chose option one. Marcus would probably die if I chose option too.

Well, I had three options. I could try to rescue Marcus, hoping that Selania was only bluffing. He was also her son so she wouldn't harm him, wouldn't she? To be honest, I didn't know that. It was possible that she would kill her own son. I didn't know her pretty well but Jaina had told me a lot about this woman. She had told me that she was a very aggressive and brutal person who would have done everything to bring victory for the Scourge.

Jaina had told me that Selania wouldn't shrink back from murdering innocent people. She didn't care about if she killed women, children or old people. I could only assume that her attitude hadn't changed at all after she had been brought back by the Burning Legion.

I had to hope that she was only bluffing, otherwise, I had no clue what to do at this very moment. I couldn't harm Jaina nor could I allow Selania that she does something to Marcus. Basically, my hands were tied in this case.

I looked at Selania who was giving me an expecting look. She was still holding Marcus right in front of her. I noticed that his expression had changed. He didn't have the empty expression on his face anymore. He seemed to be concerned but he wasn't scared at all. His blue eyes silently asked for help as they observed me. I bit my bottom lip and shifted my gaze, looking straight into Selania's face. She tilted her head and regarded me with interest. "What are you waiting for?"

I didn't answer I just looked at her and Marcus whose hands were searching for something in the pockets of his trousers. I was wondering what he was searching for. He seemed to have found whatever he was looking for because his hands stopped searching suddenly.

He looked at me, pulling a little object out of his pocket. It was a small dagger in which blade golden glowing symbols had been carved in. I made my best poker face, staring into Selania's eyes. My mind game worked pretty well. She returned the staring and stopped paying attention to what was Marcus doing.

She cried out in pain as the dagger's tip pierced skin and flesh. She dropped Marcus, making a step backwards. Her fel green eyes regarded the small dagger which stuck in her left upper arm. She cursed loudly and pulled the dagger out, throwing it away.

I had rushed to Marcus in the meantime and had lifted him up. I sprinted to Jaina, taking shelter in the large domed barrier she had created. I gave Marcus to a mage who didn't hesitate to evacuate him through a portal. I nodded to Jaina before I turned around and looked at the furious demon.

"HOW COULD YOU BETRAY ME" she cried out and pulled both swords from her back, taking a few steps towards the barrier.

"How dare you threaten the life of my son. Of OUR son. You are a very cruel mother. No sane woman would ever harm her child to get whatever she wants" I shouted.

"Look at him. He is an abortion. He is not worthy of the attention you are giving him"

Jaina snarled. "He is still a humanoid being who deserves to live. He might be special but he is still a child who has the right to live. You, on the other hand, are an abomination who has no right to live. You don't deserve to be alive again. Not after everything you have done"

Selania laughed. "Look who's talking now. The bitch who has burned me alive"

"You have tried to kill me because you were jealous. No, not only because of that. You were insane back then. You are still insane. Your insanity has grown with your thirst for blood. You killed thousands of innocents. You even killed your own family. You deserved your fate back then. But now you are back and we will stop you and the Burning Legion"

She laughed amused, coming closer to the barrier. "Are you sure about that?"

"I don't know how much power the demons have given you but you are alone and we are many" I responded and stepped next to Jaina, putting my hand on her shoulder.

"I wiped the floor with you when we served under the Scourge. The Lich King and I beat you, the night elves and the King of the Alliance years ago in Ashenvale"

" We weren't many then, but we are now. " Jaina responded and pointed at me, Tyrande, Malfurion, Vereesa, Shandris and many other friends and heroes. She also pointed at the four dozen members of Varian's elite guard.

Selania tilted her head and laughed again. "Who said I'm alone?". She lifted her left arm and spoke a few words in a language I didn't understand. Suddenly, almost one hundred demons appeared out of nowhere. Among these demons were wrathguards, doomguards, infernals, inquisitors, fel hounds and many other demon races.

Next to Selania stood a female demon which looked similar to her. The difference between them was that not only the left arm of the newcomer was corrupted. Her right leg was corrupted as well. Otherwise, the demons looked very similar. She had massive horns and carried a massive fel green glowing sword in her hands.

"May I introduce you to my partner and friend Sayvenna. She wants vengeance for Lady Rissya because they were very close. She wants vengeance as badly as I do" spoke Selania and gave us a wide grin.

Sayvenna tilted her head, regarding Jaina with narrowed eyes. "You will pay for what you have done to Lady Rissya"

Jaina's eyes narrowed as well. "She got what she deserved. She was a manipulating, backstabbing bitch. I killed her in the Twisting Nether so she will never come back. She is the best example of what happens to those who try to hurt the people I love"

Sayvenna snarled and made a gesture with her free hand. The demons began to snarl as well and walked forward. "KILL THEM ALL EXCEPT FOR ARTHAS MENETHIL" she cried and charged forward. I didn't hesitate and rushed to her. I stepped right in front of her, attacking her so that she was forced to dodge or try to block the attack if she didn't want to get hit. My plan was to keep her busy to prevent that she could attack Jaina.

Sayvenna snarled once again and aimed a quick strike at me. I didn't know anything about her sword. It was massive and glowed sinisterly greenish. I only assumed that it was soaked with fel energy. I didn't know if my two holy weapons were strong enough to block a strike from such a massive sword. The light was the biggest weakness of the demons so my weapons should be very effective against her fel blade. Still, I was insecure about this because this sword seemed to be very powerful to me.

I knew I had no other choice than trying it. I held my weapons in front of my body, waiting that the sword would reach me. I lifted my weapons and pressed against the incoming sword, trying to fend off the blow. To my relief, it worked but I had to spend a lot of power to keep it away from my body.

I managed to push Sayvenna away, causing that she staggered a few feet backwards. She bit her bottom lip hard, causing that it burst and a little amount of fel green blood flowed out. She wiped it away with the back of her hand, tilting her head as she started to walk to me.

Two paladins jumped between us and attacked her. She didn't need long to take them out. The first paladin was beheaded by her massive sword, the other died when the massive tip of the sword pierced through her heart. I had no time to express my anger because she didn't hesitate to attack me.

I created a golden barrier around my body but it was shattered after one powerful blow. I had to admit that Sayvenna was very strong. I had no clue how I should fight her. I couldn't block her attacks forever so I had only one option. Attacking her and hoping that others would support me.

My hopes were fulfilled as half a dozen ice lances narrowly flew over my head. Unfortunately, the demon managed to destroy five of them. The last one hit her in the left shoulder, causing that an angry cry was hearable from her.

Her face didn't distort, she wasn't wincing in pain nor did she stagger backwards. She didn't even pull the lance out immediately. She waited a few moments before she removed the long. She regarded it shortly before she crushed it with her bare free hand. "Nice try, Proudmoore" she shouted, looking past me.

I turned my head, spotting Jaina behind a blue glowing barrier. Next to her stood Khadgar and some of his best mages. They were casting spell after spell, hitting demons in the near. Most of their spells hit the demons around Sayvenna. Only a few were shot at the demon commander who avoided them skilfully.

Sayvenna's face was serious, not even her lips showed any form of a mocking smile. Her narrowed eyes regarded the surroundings. No soldier of the Alliance and no servant of the Scourge dared to approach her. They had witnessed what she was capable of so they avoided fighting her.

I was standing a few feet away from her, staring at her. The distance between us didn't change as we moved around in circles. None of us dared to do the next move. We waited patiently that the other would attack first but none of us made the first move.

I noticed that Zaen appeared behind her without making a sound. He was holding a large sword with a crimson red coloured blade in his hand. He nodded at me, signalizing me that he was ready for a sneak attack. I didn't return the nod. I just tilted my head, hoping that Sayvenna wouldn't notice that Zaen was behind her.

He walked without making a sound, approaching her within a few seconds. A loud pained cry escaped the demon's lips as the sword went through her back and came out of her belly. Green blood was spat out by her as he rammed the sword deeper in her back. To my horror, the sword, which had been pierced through flesh and bones, didn't bother her at all. She turned around and swung her sword with such incredible speed so that Zaen noticed her counterattack too late.

The armour he was wearing was not enough to prevent that the fel sword would harm him. A loud scream escaped his lips as the fel sword left a large, very deep cut in his upper body. Zaen staggered backwards and was hit by a wrathguard. He landed on the ground, the demon's axe stuck in his torso. Zaen coughed blood out. He tried to get up but the demon pushed him down, regarding him with a mischievous smile on its ugly black lips. It pulled the axe out, lifting it above its head. He was ready for the final blow but it would never be able to execute it.

I pushed forward and cut the demon's head off before it was able to finish the San'layn. I helped him up and pushed him to a group of paladins which brought him to Jaina and the other mages. I knew that they would bring him to a necromancer who would take care of his wounds.

Sayvenna was not happy that Zaen didn't die. She turned around, walking in my direction. She was hit by a freezing spell which froze her feet to the ground, preventing that she could move further. She groaned in anger and tried to free her feet by destroying the ice. It didn't work pretty well so she stopped and fend off incoming attackers instead.

Even though she was unable to move her feet, she was still able to kill a lot of our soldiers. It was impressive how powerful she was. She was one of the strongest swordsmen I had ever seen. But my admiration for her strength wouldn't stop me from taking her down. She must die because she wanted to kill Jaina.

And I had sworn to protect Jaina and my unborn child with every means. Even if I had to lose my life for their safety. I would sacrifice myself for Jaina's and our child's safety. Hopefully, I would be still able to protect them without losing my life. I was not sure about that because our enemies were very powerful. Especially Selania who was cutting through Alliance soldiers and Scourge minions as if they were nothing but pieces of wood.

Sayvenna rushed to me and attacked me with such an incredible speed that I had troubles blocking or dodging all of her attacks. She managed to hit me a few times. The firm armour blocked most blows but it was not firm enough to block every hit, meaning it got damaged eventually. The armour was still good enough to protect me from the weapons of the other demons. I was only afraid that it wouldn't protect me at all against Selania's or Sayvenna's weapons. But I had no other choice than fighting with it because I didn't have the time to get new armour.

I gave my best to dodge her attacks, knowing each hit could cause a lot of pain for me. Unfortunately, it didn't work quite well. She didn't hit me with her sword but with one of her hooves. Waves of pain were shot through my body as her hoof hit my barely protected left hip. I gritted my teeth and made a few steps backwards, not dropping any of my weapons. I was barely able to ignore the pain but I had to move on if I wanted to survive. I ignored it as best as I could and got ready for combat again.

She charged forward, trying to cut me in halves with her massive sword. She would have nearly succeeded if she wouldn't have been hit by a massive fireball. The fireball exploded on her chest and knocked her away. She got up quickly but was hit by another one of Jaina's spells.

It was a fel fire sphere which was far more effective against her than I had expected. The sphere exploded and left splinters behind that bored their way into the demon's skin. Not even the armour, which protected parts of her body, was firm enough to protect her. The splinters really hurt Sayvenna causing that she cried out loudly.

A loud, angry roar escaped the demon's lips. She brandished her sword, hitting everyone around her. She hit allies and enemies, wounding or killing lots of them. I waited patiently until she had calmed down, killing a few demons who had dared to attack me in the meantime.

Sayvenna hadn't got the time to remove the splinters which were obviously hurting her. She kept moving but slower than before. I remained in the same spot, waiting that she would approach me. She executed her attack from the left, aiming for my torso but I was fast enough to block her attack. She snarled as she drew her sword back, trying to hit me again.

She stopped trying to hit me as she noticed that another fel fire spell was flying towards her. A green barrier was created around her as she rammed her sword in the ground. The barrier absorbed the spell and blocked the hail of arrows which would have hit her a few seconds later.

"You can't hide forever" I spoke, checking my surroundings. I noticed that Selania was not far away from me. I assumed that between us were only about seventy feet, three demons and two soldiers of the Alliance. She was looking at me while she slaughtered one of my allies after the other without needing to look at them.

Jaina had told me that she was very powerful but she had never mentioned that she was that powerful. I didn't know how strong she had been before Jaina had killed her but I could only assume that the Burning Legion had made her a lot stronger. I knew that the smartest choice was to stay away from her. But that wouldn't be possible in my case because that woman wanted me. She wanted me alive. Technically alive in this case.

I was in a bad spot. Sayvenna was only waiting until the archers and mages would stop shooting missiles at her and Selania was fighting her way through the masses of soldiers who stepped in her way and tried to stop her. I knew that beating both of them would be impossible for me. Even beating one of the two demons would be hard for me but at least I got back up. Three members of my paladin group came to me and stepped in front of me. I knew that they wouldn't have the smallest chance against the demon overlord so I ordered them to get behind me and assist me when I would attack her.

Selania's lips formed a wide smile as she killed a lonely servant of the Scourge who had been standing between her and me. She crushed the skeleton's head with her hoof and walked to me, stopping a few feet away from me.

"I've waited for this moment for so long" she spoke and regarded me from head to toe. "You look very good"

I didn't respond to her compliment. I just stared at her with narrowed eyes, my lips were pressed together to a thin line.

She tilted her head, giving me a mocking grin. "I don't care who wins this war. I only want you, Arthas. I love you with all of my heart"

"I don't want the love of a person who has a black and rotten heart. Jaina has told me how you have treated her. You have mistreated her even though you were allies back then. From what I've also heard, I guess that you are a very disgusting person" I responded and bit my bottom lip as I gave her an upset look.

She ignored my insult completely. "Well, I can only say that Proudwhore has deserved it. She has taken what is mine" she responded, coming closer to me.

"I was never yours. You were only a sex object for the Lich King. Nothing more"

She chuckled and gave me a provocative grin. "You came to me and bedded me if I remember correctly. You made me pregnant if I remember correctly. Why did you do that if you haven't loved me back then?"

"I was heavily drunk"

"That is such a lame excuse, honey"

"Don't call me like that. Only Jaina is allowed to call me like this" I solidified my grip on my weapons and made a few steps forward so that I was standing a few feet away from me. "I've never loved you and never will. You were nothing more than a sex kitten for the Lich King. You mean nothing to me and you will never surpass Jaina"

A loud snarl escaped her lips as jumped on me and pushed me forcefully to the floor. She landed on top of me and snatched my weapons away, throwing them as far away as possible from me. My companions came to my aid but they were cut in halves by Sayvenna before they were able to do something. An arcane blast hit Selania but the robust woman kept sitting on my torso. Sayvenna rammed her sword in the ground, creating a barrier which blocked the next spells from Jaina and her mage companions. A loud curse escaped Jaina's lips as she realized that they got me.

She closed her eyes, muttered a few words and opened them after a few moments. Her eye had turned green, her skin became grey and her body grew in size. Two massive bat-like wings came out of her back, a long tail appeared and horns grew out of her forehead. Her transformation was completed when her hands changed to massive claws with very long and sharp fingernails.

"HE IS MINE! DON'T YOU DARE TO TOUCH HIM, BITCH" Jaina screamed and created a massive fel fireball. The fireball collided with the barrier and shattered it as it exploded. The explosion was so powerful that the demon commanders and I were flung away. An enormous wave of pain rushed through my body as I landed on the floor, hitting my head on the stone-hard surface. My surroundings blurred out and darkness surrounded me.

* * *

"Arthas are you okay?" I cried out. My widened eyes rested on Arthas who was lying on the floor not far away from me and didn't move. I charged in his direction but a massive wrathguard stepped in my way and prevented that I could reach him. I snarled, pressing both wands together. A massive fel fireball hit the demon, setting it on fire. The demon cried out in pain, trying to hit me with its large sword and its fist. It was unmistakable that it tried to touch me so that the fire would ignite me as well.

Of course, I was fast enough and got away from the demon before it was able to touch me. The fel fire left nothing but ashes behind, even the massive sword hadn't been spared.

I didn't hesitate to rush to Arthas, kneeling down beside him. I saw out of the corner of my eyes that Selania stood about twenty feet away from me. She didn't do anything. She just stood there, holding both swords in her hands as she stared at Arthas. I didn't pay attention to her. What mattered to me at this very moment was Arthas' well-being.

I put my arms around his neck and upper body, lifting him up carefully. Blood flowed out of the lacerated wound on his forehead. His eyes were closed and he didn't move. I cast two spells. One to create a barrier around us, the other to check Arthas' condition. I sighed out in relief when I noticed that he was only unconscious and not dead. I wouldn't have had the time to raise him, not while the battle was still raging around us.

Selania walked over to us, stopping right in front of the barrier. I noticed that Sayvenna was not in our near as I looked around. Maybe the explosion had knocked her far away. At least I was hoping that.

"See what you have done, Proudwhore" exclaimed Selania. "Now he is hurt because of you. At least it's just a lacerated wound. Nothing which couldn't be fixed. Lucky for you, Proudwhore"

"Shut the fuck up, Selania. You are getting on my nerves. Arthas is my boyfriend and not yours. He was never yours. He was always mine" I shouted.

I created a portal out of which two water elementals came out. I ignored the hateful expression on Selania's face as I commanded the elementals to carry Arthas through the portal. I closed the portal behind them, turning to Selania whose posture told me that she was really mad at me and wanted to tear me apart as soon as the barrier would expire. Of course, I would prevent that she would cut me in little pieces.

"You stupid bitch, what have you done?"

"I brought him to safety. Now, you won't be able to reach him. And if you kill me, you will never find out where I have brought him" I responded, a wide smile appeared on my lips.

She cursed loudly and lifted her swords above her head. She brought her swords down, clashing them against the barrier. The barrier held out against her first strike, against her second and her third. It was a real miracle that the barrier still existed. But I knew that it wouldn't endure very long after it had been hit for the fourth time.

I muttered a few words, summoning an infernal right behind her. The demon, which was five times taller than her, lowered its upper body as it tried to grab Selania. As I had expected, she jumped in the air and landed on the demon's hand. She ran over its arm until she reached its shoulder. She rushed to its head and cut it off with two well-placed swings.

She jumped back to the floor, walking in my direction. The demon's body fell backwards and buried demons and Horde and Alliance soldiers beneath it. It was safe to say that these creatures were dead.

In the end, the infernal didn't do much but at least it had given me enough time to prepare a few spells. Also, paladins had arrived in my near and other spellcasters had prepared fireballs, ice techniques, arcane techniques, holy abilities and other spells which would be effective against a powerful demon like Selania.

Selania dealt with the paladins, killing all of them without getting hit too many times. She created a barrier around herself, which didn't hold out very long against the number of spells which came in contact with it. She managed to block only a few spells with her swords, meaning that most of these spells hit her. She suffered lots of injuries, even larger ones like very deep cuts or yawning wounds. A lot of green blood was spat out by her or flowed out of her wounds over time.

Even though she was heavily injured, she was still able to stand and fight. She killed those who approached her with precise and also swift executed swings. But she was definitely slower than she used to be. We weren't able to beat her but we were able to take out her army.

After twelve hours of fighting, the last demonic creature, which wasn't Selania or Sayvenna, was killed by my allies and me. Only these two were left.

But Sayvenna wasn't able to do much because she had been unarmed and captivated by Varian, Genn and Ysera. At this very moment, she kneeled in front of the King of Stormwind, arms and legs were shackled behind her back. She had a hateful look on her face but no one really cared.

What mattered was that she was unable to fight, meaning that Selania was the only enemy left. Selania snarled loudly as she looked around, slowly walking backwards to the exit of the room. She stopped when she noticed that Varian's best men stood in front of the exit, preventing that she could escape through it.

Selania checked the surrounding one last time. "This is not over Proudwhore. We will meet again, I promise". She pulled a hearthstone out of her pocket and used it before the mages were able to do anything. I turned to Sayvenna as Selania disappeared. She was still staring at Varian, giving him a hateful look. At least she remained silent and didn't insult anyone.

I walked over to him. "We made it" I said cheerfully.

His lips formed a smile. I put my hand on his shoulder, returning his smile. "We won another battle but there are still many more rooms left which need to be cleared" he said. Even though he looked very exhausted, he seemed to be ready to go to the next room and kill as many demons as possible.

"I know but for now we need to rest. We lost a lot of soldiers and those who survived are too exhausted to continue fighting right now" I responded.

"You are right but we should be careful. I don't want to be ambushed by demons"

"We are always careful. Nobody will be able to ambush us, not with so many mages and rogues around us. There are enough spells which would warn us from possible intruders."

Varian pointed at Sayvenna "What do we do with her?"

"Spare her and lock her in a cell. We can only kill her forever in the Twisting Nether. But it would be a waste to kill her. She could give us useful information" I responded.

Sayvenna turned her head, her gaze shifted to me. "I will never tell you anything, Proudwhore. Not after what you have done to Lady Rissya"

I chuckled and bent down, caressing her chin. "Lady Rissya was a cruel, manipulating and lying bitch. She got what she deserved"

Sayvenna didn't reply verbally to me. Instead, she spat at me. At least, her saliva was not corrosive for me. I guessed it would have corroded the flesh of any humanoid creature. But I was also a demon so I was immune to this.

Ysera stepped to me and put a hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry, we will make her speak. Not even demons can resist the Emerald Dream for too long. Hypnosis will be enough to make her speak"

"Hopefully it will work"

"Don't worry, it will" she responded and smiled at me.

"Good. We should create barriers, cast spells and seal the room for outsiders before we take a rest. We will lose the next battle if our soldiers don't rest"

"You could take care of the barriers while I put the exhausted soldiers in a magical sleep. They would recover faster this way" announced Ysera.

"That is a good idea" I statemented.

Varian nodded in agreement. "Alright, let's do this"

We did as we had decided. Thanks to Ysera's power the soldiers were able to recover quickly from the previous exhausting battle. The barrier we had created prevented that any enemy could enter the room or throw something in it. It also prevented anyone from teleporting into the room. Only our mages could create portals in the room.

I had sent Calia through a portal so she could look after Arthas. She had returned an hour later and told me that he was still unconscious. She had told me that the healers had told her that he would be unconscious for at least one or two days. At least he was getting better.

"It seems that we have to fight without Arthas" statemented Vereesa as she approached me.

"We should be strong enough to take down these dreadlords. Still, everything would be easier with him. He is by far the strongest paladin of our Alliance" I responded.

Vereesa put her hand on my shoulder, smiling at me. "Everything will be fine. I promise"

I returned her smile for a few moments but then my face became serious. "Are you ready for everything? You know, the chances are pretty high that Sylvanas and her lover are awaiting us in one of the many rooms of this gigantic castle"

Her happy facial expression was replaced by worry. "I think so... Well, it will be hard for me to fight her but if she leaves us no other choice..." her facial expression became sadder and her ears hung a bit lower than usual. "We will spare her and take her captive, right?". She didn't look at me as she asked this question with a low voice. She didn't sound very convinced. I put my hand under her chin, lifting it so that she was forced to look at me.

"Don't worry, Vereesa. We won't kill her. She will pay for her crimes but she will stay alive. I promise you that"

Her blue glowing eyes stared into mine. It was unmistakable that she was still doubting that we would spare her sister. But after staring into my ears for nearly five minutes, she nodded and gave me a small smile before she turned around.

At least she looked far more convinced and self-secure than before. She didn't look like a lost puppy anymore. I had promised that Sylvanas will be spared and I had planned on keeping my promises. Even though I hated Sylvanas for everything she had done to me, I didn't want her to die. Of course, she deserved to die. But for the sake of Vereesa, I had decided that we will spare her if we ever get her.

Vereesa stared at her fingernails for a few moments before she turned back to me, wrapping her arms around my neck and pulling me in a tight hug. I chuckled and returned the hug, stroking her back softly.

"I was so busy over the past months that I didn't spend a lot of time with you. I'm sorry, Vereesa"

She rested her head on my shoulder, caressing my back as well. "It's okay, sweetie"

"How are things going between you and your family?"

"Well, Rhonin and I are doing fine. I can't touch him but he can touch me...it's difficult sometimes. But we have gotten used to it. I may not be able to touch him and I cannot really kiss him but I can speak to him and see him. The kids and I are able to spend a lot of time with him. This is much better than not having him. I don't want to imagine how things would be now if Selania wouldn't have accidentally freed Rhonin by destroying one of the Soul Collectors' soul stones. I still cannot believe that Thel'zaron is the Soul Collector. Imagine if he would have transformed before Rhonin would have been freed. Rhonin would have been gone forever if that would have happened. I hate Selania so much for everything she has done to you. Even though she has freed Rhonin, I still hate her because she was the one who killed him in the first place"

I ran my fingers through her silver hair. I toyed with a few strands of her hair, enjoying the soft feeling. "Selania will pay for everything. She may have escaped this time but she won't be able to escape forever. One day we will catch her, bring her to the Twisting Nether and kill her there"

"Hopefully" responded Vereesa as she pulled a bit away from me. She regarded me once again before she kissed my cheek softly and stepped away from me. "We should get ready. The others are getting ready as well"

"You are right". I walked over to the area where most mages were gathered. I walked to the table where the Council of the Six, the rulers of Dalaran, sat. I picked up both wands, which leaned against the table, smiling when the six archmages got up as well and signalized me that they were ready.

Together, we walked to the room's exit in front of which Varian, Genn and Ysera in her humanoid form were standing. Vereesa and Shandris arrived a few minutes later, quickly followed by Tyrande and Malfurion.

I turned around, looking at the soldiers who lined up in a formation a few feet behind us. "It seems that everyone is ready" I statemented.

"Then we should move to the next room" responded Varian.

I nodded and started to dissolve the barrier with the help of the other mages. The members of the Alliance and the Scourge followed us to the next room. We claimed it as ours after a hard battle which had lasted for four days. After a pause of an entire day, we rushed to the next room. Arthas joined us after a week. With him, the battles were a lot easier because his holy weapons were very effective against these demons.

Within the next two weeks, we managed to conquer five rooms and kill at least one hundred thousand demons. We also lost soldiers and undead creatures but we replaced them with freshly raised Horde soldiers.

We came in another room but it wasn't filled with many demons as we had expected. Instead, only one massive figure stood in the middle of the room. It regarded us with a mischievous smile on its lips. The demon was obviously a male. I didn't need to look twice to know immediately who he was.

His grotesque face, his muscular physique and his remarkable armour were distinctive. There was no other demon which looked similar to him. He was unique. He was no other than the son of Thel'zaron and Lady Rissya. He was the one who was responsible for the fall of Lordaeron and the corruption of the love of my life. And I will make sure he will pay for everything he did in the past.

"Who is that?" asked Arthas. He was standing directly next to me. It was unmistakable that his narrowed eyes rested on the dreadlord. I was about to answer his question as words came out of the dreadlord's mouth.

"I welcome you all to my family's castle. I am Mal'Ganis and I promise that no one will leave this room alive today"


	45. Two demons in one sweep

_Mal'Ganis? Did I hear it right?_

_Is this really Mal'Ganis? It seems so..._

_He looks familiar._

_This has to be Mal'Ganis_

_This MUST be Mal'Ganis if my memories don't deceive me._

_This is the dreadlord who is responsible for the doom of my kingdom. He has spread the Plague in Lordaeron. He has poisoned my people and turned them into the undead. He has lured me on the path of vengeance and has done everything so that I would follow him to Northrend and find Frostmourne there. He is responsible that I became one with the Lich King. He has once paid for that. Now he will pay for kidnapping Jain and turning her into a demon._

Mal'Ganis looked exactly as I remembered him. Tall and muscular physique, purple skin, large horns, wide wings, large claws and an ugly face. For me, he was as ugly as an abomination. This time I will make sure that he will be in the Twisting Nether when I take him down.

Mal'Ganis titled his head, looking at me. "Arthas Menethil. It has been a while since we last met. More than fifteen years if I remember correctly"

"Don't act as if we were friends back then. You killed my people and doomed my kingdom. And you will pay for that" I shouted, pointing Ashbringer's tip at him.

Soft laughter escaped his lips. "As far as I remember, you were the one who killed your father and the inhabitants of your kingdom. Not me"

I gritted my teeth, my eyes narrowed and a loud hiss escaped my lips. Just his presence was enough to make me really furious. Looking at him brought up old memories I wanted to suppress. I didn't remember what I had done after I had picked up Frostmourne but I remembered everything which had happened before.

I remembered discovering that my people were poisoned and turned into undead creatures. I remembered the hunt after Kel'Thuzad. I also remembered the purging of Stratholme... There were so many bad memories I wanted to forget...

I opened my mouth, wanting to spit hateful words at him. But I held my tongue back, relaxing as I felt Jaina's soft and warm hand on my right shoulder. I turned my head, looking at her. Seeing her smile and her beautiful face was enough to calm me down and make my body relax. Her presence alone already comforted me and helped me to suppress the anger and the hatred I felt at this very moment.

My gaze rested on Jaina longer than necessary but eventually, I turned my head and looked back at Mal'Ganis whose gaze had also fallen on Jaina. His facial features were distorted in anger, making him look more unlikable than he already was. His green eyes were narrowed as they observed Jaina.

"And there you are Jaina Proudmoore... How dare you to fight on their side although you have pledged loyalty to the Burning Legion?" hissed Mal'Ganis. His voice expressed the dislike he was feeling for Jaina. It was unmistakable that he was angry at her and we all knew very well why he was so angry at her.

"You may have forgotten that I was forced to serve you. I never joined the Legion voluntarily and I never will. Not after everything the Burning Legion did to the inhabitants of Azeroth. Not after what you have done to Arthas" shouted Jaina, gripping her wands tightly.

I looked at her, noticing that anger was building up in her. This time I was the one who calmed her down. My hand caressed her shoulder softly. My warm and comforting smile made all her anger disappear. She returned the smile, staring into my eyes for a few moments before she looked back at the dreadlord on the opposite side of the room.

Unlike Jaina's, Mal'Ganis' angry expression didn't change. He was still staring at her; fists were clenched as if he wanted to hit her the next moment. "Jaina Proudmoore" he hissed, making a dramatic pause. "You killed my mother"

Jaina's response was short and simple "She deserved it"

Mal'Ganis roared out in anger. "HOW DARE YOU...YOU WILL PAY FOR KILLING HER. I WILL MAKE SURE THAT YOUR COCKY SMILE WILL DISAPPEAR FROM YOUR UGLY FACE WHEN IM DONE WITH YOU"

Jaina remained calm, secretly holding my hand while she was looking at the furious dreadlord. "Try it, bastard"

Another loud roar echoed through the room. But this time Mal'Ganis didn't say anything in return. He just stayed there and regarded us with furious eyes.

"You didn't manage to beat me back then in Northrend. You won't beat me this time, especially because I've brought my friends with me" I said to him.

His anger faded a little and a small smile crept on his lips. "Who said that I'm alone?" he said amused. His smile became wider as dozens of demons appeared out of nowhere. But they didn't attack us. They just stood in Mal'Ganis' near, waiting for his command.

It didn't surprise me at all that Selania was among these demons. She stood directly next to Mal'Ganis, holding both swords in her hands. She gave me an amused smile before her facial expression became angry as she looked at Jaina.

She looked back at me, relaxing a bit. "Hello, honey. It's good to see you again. I've missed you so much"

I didn't say anything in response. I just held Ashbringer and Light's vengeance in front of my upper body, signalizing her that I was ready to fight. Jaina muttered a few words, summoning ten elementals. Five fel fire, three water and two frost elementals.

"Is that all that you are capable of, Proudmoore? Ten lesser servants who will fall within a few minutes against me?" taunted Mal'Ganis. He laughed evilly as more minions appeared around him. "Let the fun begin"

I regarded Mal'Ganis and his followers, counting about one hundred demons in total. "It will be fun, Mal'Ganis, I promise. But not for you"

"Well shall see" he answered amused. He didn't perceive us as a danger but I had planned on proving him wrong. I turned my head a little, looking at Jaina and Vereesa next to me. Jaina gave me a confident and comforting smile while Vereesa signalized me that she was believing as well that we would win this battle.

I spotted Varian and Genn Greymane not far away from us. Varian was carrying a new sword besides Ellemayne. The sword's blade was very large and thick. Red glowing runes had been carved in it. I didn't know much about this sword, I only knew that it was very effective against demons. Genn Greymane had a new gun which ammunition was blessed by the light, making them also very effective against demons or undead creatures.

Ysera, her sister Alexstrasza and her mate Korialstrasz stood in their full splendour behind Varian and Genn. I knew that they would spit large tongues of flames at the nearest enemies as soon as the battle would start. I signalized everyone to relax and wait patiently. I turned my head a little, receiving a nod from Alexstrasza. I turned back to Mal'Ganis, noticing that he stared at us with an amused grin on his lips. He wouldn't be able to grin like that for too long. I had promised that to myself.

Mal'Ganis stepped forward and was about to say something as a large fireball landed right in front of his feet. He reaction was faster than I had expected. He leaped backwards and landed a few dozen feet behind his original position. He looked immediately at the spot where he had been standing a few seconds ago.

His eyes widened when he noticed that the area around the spot was covered by a carpet of fire. The fire spread out quickly, igniting the nearest demons. The lesser minions like felhounds, felstalkers or satyrs died very quickly but stronger creatures like infernals, doomguards, wrathguards or inquisitors didn't die immediately. They managed to charge forward and attack soldiers of the Alliance and members of the Scourge before they died. Some of them even managed to ignite a few of our soldiers before they were burnt to ashes.

Mages, shamans and other spellcasters managed to extinguish the flames which were burning our soldiers. No one died but most of them suffered heavy burning words.

The battle had already begun us there was no reason to hesitate. I raised my weapons; a loud battle cry escaped my lips when I charged forward and beheaded the first demon. The head of the second demon was crushed by Light's vengeance, the third demon was cut in halves by Ashbringer. Five demons approached me but they were taken out quickly by Vereesa's arrows, Jaina's spells and Genn's holy bullets.

I didn't hesitate to rush to the next small group of demons, taking them out with the help of four death knights I had barely know. With the help of these death knights and the back-up from Jaina, Vereesa and a lot more spellcasters and archers, I managed to come closer to Mal'Ganis. The dreadlord didn't participate in the battle. He could jump into the middle of the battlefield and kill a lot of our soldiers but he didn't. Instead, he stayed on this spot and watched us slaughter his servants.

We got closer to Mal'Ganis with each demon we slew but Selania also came closer to Jaina and Vereesa whenever one of our soldiers became the victim of her two massive swords. I had two options. Either I would go for Mal'Ganis and defeat this bastard once and forever or I could help Jaina first and then take this bastard down.

Even though I wanted to defeat Mal'Ganis so badly, I decided to help Jaina first because she was all that mattered for me. I would have won nothing if I would have defeated Mal'Ganis but lost Jaina to Selania. Jaina was more important for me than anything or anyone else.

I signalized the death knights to follow me. They didn't question my decision. Instead, they signalized me that they would do whatever I wanted from them. I turned around and rushed to Selania who was fighting five weaker death knights.

She didn't need long to kill them. She beheaded three of them and cut the other two in halves. She was not far away from Jaina but at least half a dozen ghouls were between them, not to mention that the dragons were standing right behind Jaina.

It surprised me that Selania still wanted to go for Jaina even though the dragons would protect her with their deadly flames. But Selania was a madwoman. She didn't care about her own health and didn't avoid any danger. I will make sure that her carelessness will lead to her downfall.

Unfortunately, the ghouls were no match for Selania, who chopped them in little pieces and scattered them over the floor. She whirled her swords around as she got closer and closer to Jaina. A fel fire elemental approached Selania but it was killed before it was able to hurt the demon. A provocative smile appeared on Selania' lips as she killed the next elemental.

Finally, I reached Selania before she was able to get too close to Jaina. I charged at her, assuming that she would turn around and block my attack with ease. But somehow, she didn't. She only noticed me when I rammed Ashbringer in her left hip, causing that a loud pained cry escaped her lips. I managed to pull Ashbringer out before she spun around and tried to hit me with her swords.

She was so furious at this very moment, that she didn't care if she would hurt me. She lashed out with her fel green swords, not caring who or what she would hit. She beheaded lots of her allies but also lots of servants of the Scourge. At least the undead creatures were reanimated by the necromancers, so losing them didn't matter.

What mattered was that Selania killed a lot of her allies which made Mal'Ganis very upset. He shouted something to her in a language I didn't know. I assumed that it was the language of the demons, but I couldn't know that for sure. I didn't know what Mal'Ganis had shouted. It didn't even matter because it seemed that Selania was totally ignoring him.

She kept whirling her swords around her, crippling everyone who dared to come too close to her. I stayed away from her, killing those demons who were dumb enough to attack me alone or in smaller groups.

I looked at Jaina, noticing that she was performing a spell together with the mages and the dragons. I didn't know which kind of a spell they were channelling but I was pretty sure that it would be a very powerful one.

I kept fighting against the demons in my near. From time to time, I was even able to catch a glimpse at Mal'Ganis and Jaina for short moments. It really surprised me that the dreadlord didn't fight against us. It wouldn't look so good for us if he would join the battle. But for some reason, he didn't.

I couldn't complain about this because his lack of participation increased our chance of winning. Still, I was worried about what he was planning. He was the one who had planned the downfall of my kingdom so I could only assume that he had planned something. Something I wouldn't like for sure.

I didn't need to wait too long to find out what Jaina, the mages and the dragons had prepared. Together, they had created a massive ice sphere. I assumed that Jaina had created it with the power the dragons had given her.

This assumption would make sense because none of these dragons was known for using ice magic. They were known for using deadly fire spells. Ice magic didn't belong to the kinds of magic the dragons were good at. I was convinced that the dragons had given Jaina portions of their power. She wouldn't have been able to create such an ice sphere with a diameter of thirty-three feet alone. Even Mal'Ganis eyes widened as he saw what Jaina had created with the support of the others.

Mal'Ganis was speechless and stunned for a few moments. His attempts to do something against it were too late. The sphere exploded at the same moment where Mal'Ganis raised his left hand. The explosion hit all demons and undead creatures in the room, locking their bodies in ice.

Most demons were completely locked in ice. Only stronger demons like Selania or Mal'Ganis were mostly spared by the explosion's effect. Selania was able to move her left arm and her head while Mal'Ganis could move every part of his body except for his legs.

Selania gave her best to destroy the ice which was covering most of her body but not even her sword, which reeked of pure fel energy, was strong enough to destroy the layers of ice which covered her body. An angry snarled escaped her lips as she noticed there was no way for her to get free without help.

She dropped her sword, starting to mutter phrases. She was making gestures with her hand which began to glow a few moments later. I didn't hesitate to rush to her, cutting her arm off before she could complete whatever she had started to cast. A loud pained cry echoed through the room. Green blood was spread over the floor and the ice block which was locking her in. Her freshly detached arm landed on the floor and swam in a puddle of dark green blood.

"You will pay for that" hissed Selania through gritted teeth. She was unable to not express the pain she was feeling at the moment. I had to admit that it amused me to see this filthy whore suffer. Normally, I was not a friend of torture or unnecessary pain but this woman had done a lot of things to Jaina. She had tormented her, mistreated her and brutally beaten her. But the worst thing she had done was to kill Marcus' adoptive mother. She had killed the only woman who had taken care of him since he was young. Selania deserved to suffer for everything she had done.

"I don't think so" I responded, giving her a triumphant grin. I looked at Mal'Ganis, noticing that he was busy with getting his legs free from the firm and very resistant layers of ice. He could help his servants by flinging powerful spells at us but he didn't. Instead, he tried to get free, not caring if his servants would die. His egoism caused that the frozen demons were killed one by one by soldiers of Alliance and the Scourge.

Selania's neck was frozen in place so she couldn't move her head, meaning that she could only look at me. Jaina noticed that and came to me, putting her arms around my neck and kissing me passionately to provoke Selania. It worked pretty well. The demon roared out loudly and began to insult Jaina with all swear words which existed in her vocabulary. But Jaina didn't care. She just gave her a wide and provocative smile as she pulled away and turned around to look at her. She was caressing my cheek with one hand, while her other glowed greenish as she muttered a few phrases.

A black and green glowing sphere appeared in front of her. I had seen her practicing this technique so I knew what she had just summoned and what she was planning with it. This thing was a fel bomb and its purpose was to kill demons. Lots of demons. Even the strongest demons.

Selania broke out in laughter for a reason I couldn't understand. "You are so dumb, Jaina Proudwhore. Even if this fel bomb kills me, I will still return. You can't kill me here, at least not forever. I will return and kill you next time immediately without toying with you"

"Just wait and see" responded Jaina. She pulled her other hand away from my cheek and began to cast another spell. Selania didn't stop laughing while Jaina was performing the spell. But her nerve-racking laughter stopped out of sudden when she realized what Jaina intended to do. A greenish glowing circle had appeared around the ice block Selania was locked in. It was a demonic circle which was normally used to transport things to other places.

Jaina regarded the annoying demon for a few moments before she gave me another kiss. She pulled back after a few moments and took the fel bomb, walking over with it to Selania. She attached it to the ice block and walked back to me, putting her arms around my upper body. Selania's fel green eyes were widened, numerous insults I had never heard before came out of her wide open mouth. Selania's anger faded and was slowly replaced by fear.

"You are wrong Selania" spoke Jaina calmly. "I can still kill you because this circle will teleport you in the middle of the Twisting Nether. The bomb will be strong enough to tear even your body apart. You will die and there is nothing you can do against it". I noticed that the smile on Jaina's lips became much wider as Selania's already widened eyes became even wider.

Selania tried hard to get free but that was turned out to be impossible with her arm stump, which was the only part of her body she could move. The rest of her body was still locked in the ice block. A priest silenced her as she began to insult Jaina again. This allowed the others to say a few words and sentences to Selania before Jaina would teleport her away.

Jaina looked at me, signalizing me to say something to her.

"I'm sorry that it has to end this way. I'm not sorry for killing you. I think we all agree that you deserve it. I'm sorry for taking Marcus' real mother away from him. You may have never loved him but you are still his mother... You killed the only person who really cared about him before I met him. He lost his mother but with Jaina, he gets a new one. Together with her I will raise him and prove you wrong. He is no abomination and no freak. He will become a well-respected man one day and fight for those who cannot. I just want to let you know what I won't abandon him as you did just because he is different. I will raise him to a heroic and just man. I will support him wherever I can.

I will make sure that he will forget that you have ever existed. Nobody will remember you and your 'legacy'. You failed. The Legion will fail. Nobody will remember Selania Wildreaper but everyone will remember Jaina Proudmoore and Arthas Menethil. Our names will still be remembered in thousands of years while yours will be long forgotten" I responded, staring directly in her fel green eyes. I put my arm around Jaina, signalizing her that I had said everything I wanted to say.

Jaina nodded to me, looking at Vereesa and the dragons. She received nods from her best friend and Ysera, and a smile from Calia who was currently treating our wounded. Her gaze shifted back to Selania who was still trying to get free. She gave her a cold look before she snapped with her fingers. The circle on the floor glowed brighter than it already did, disappearing with Selania a few moments later.

Jaina created a glass globe which was larger than her head. Her expression changed as she observed what the globe was showing her. An amused smile appeared on her lips as she gave it to me. I stared at it, finding out that it was really showing me something. I focused on the smooth surface which reflected some sort of a vision.

I found out quickly that the vision showed me the fate of Selania. It was a cruel, painful but well-deserved fate. The bomb tore her body apart. She died in the middle of the Twisting Nether which meant that she will never return. Never ever.

"She is dead, really dead" I announced and handed the globe over to Varian who was standing a few feet away from me. He sighed out in relief as he witnessed Selania's fate. He regarded the globe for a few more moments before he handed it over to Genn. I didn't want to wait until everyone had witnessed Selania's death. I wanted to get rid of the last remaining enemy in this room. So, I turned around, looking at Mal'Ganis who had finally managed to free himself.

He was making an unimpressed face, his sinister green eyes were narrowed and rested on me. "Do you seriously think you can beat me? I am Mal'Ganis, I am eternal! I'm a true-born member of the Nathrezim. I wasn't turned from a weak humanoid being into a demon. I was born a demon. Trust me, I'm not as weak as Selania"

"You may be not as weak as her but you are not much smarter either" Jaina's response caused that resounding laughter was hearable from the crowd behind us.

Mal'Ganis' face didn't change at all. He kept staring at us without doing anything. "Quite funny, Proudmoore. Quite funny" he commented. He was unable to hide that he was slightly pissed.

"Check your surroundings once again, Mal'Ganis. We are many while you are alone. There is no way that you are going to win this battle"

He burst into laughter. "Do you think so? You should know better than underestimating a Nathrezim"

"Your mother turned me into a Nathrezim. I know pretty well what our kind is capable of. I killed two of the strongest Nathrezim which have ever existed, so I'm pretty sure that I can defeat you as well. Also, my friends are supporting me. There is no way you can win this, bastard" responded Jaina, signalizing the dreadlord that she was dead serious about this.

Mal'Ganis pressed his lips together to a thin line, his eyes narrowed and a frown appeared on his forehead. "I'm tired of your stupid games. I will annihilate all of you right now. You were dumb enough to bring all important members of your Alliance to this place. I will kill you all and destroy your stupid resistance, or whatever you call this collection of garbage"

He lifted his left hand which began to glow sinisterly as he muttered a few phrases. I could sense that a massive amount of power was radiated from him. I didn't know what he was doing but I had a bad feeling about this. I wouldn't be able to reach him on time to stop him, so I created a golden barrier instead which was large enough to include Jaina, Vereesa, Varian and me.

"SAY GOODBYE TO THIS PATHETIC WORLD, YOU DISGUSTING MORTALS" shouted Mal'Ganis. His lips formed a triumphant grin as he signalized everyone what he was about to complete this spell. I didn't know what kind of a spell he had cast and I would never find that out because nothing happened. The triumphant grin vanished out of Mal'Ganis face as he realized that nothing had happened. His widened green eyes stared at us. He shifted his gaze to his raised hand, observing it disbelievingly. He wasn't believing that his spell didn't work for whatever reason.

I turned my head, looking at Jaina who was having a surprising look on her face. I looked at the others, noticing similar facial expressions. At first sight, it seemed that none of our spellcasters had something to do with it. Every famous and powerful mage made a similar surprised face. Everyone except one.

Kel'Thuzad.

The lich was hovering over a small plateau behind Jaina and me, rubbing his bony hands together while grinning mischievously. Mal'Ganis was making a very confused face as he stared at the smirking lich.

"What did you do?" shouted Mal'Ganis, pointing accusingly at the lich.

The lich raised his hands in the air, signalizing the dreadlord that he didn't know what he was talking about.

"You were supposed to help me" shouted Mal'Ganis angrily.

Kel'Thuzad's deafening laughter echoed through the room. "It's funny that you still haven't found out that Queen Proudmoore has detected your infiltrator and has locked him in a cell. She has freed me and ordered me to act as if I was your informant"

Mal'Ganis bit his bottom lip hard. "So, you have given me false information over the past year?"

Kel'Thuzad giggled. "Yes, I did"

Mal'Ganis roared out loudly. "YOU WILL PAY FOR THAT TRAITOROUS LICH. YOU HAVE ALREADY BETRAYED ME ONE TIME IN THE PAST. THIS TIME YOU WON'T SURVIVE THIS!"

Once again, Kel'Thuzad rubbed his bony hands together, smiling mischievously. "And how will you do that without being able to use magic"

Mal'Ganis' face was a mask of shock. "What did you do?" he asked. His voice was low but sounded very dangerous.

"I poisoned your wine. The wine I had to serve you whenever you called me to you"

"YOU DID WHAT?"

Kel'Thuzad didn't respond verbally. He just grinned at the very upset dreadlord.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME, BASTARD?"

"All your shouts won't save you now, demon. You should have paid more attention to your surroundings and to those you thought were on your side. You were too arrogant. You thought that nobody would betray you, so you didn't check if the wines I brought you were poisoned or not. The poison is not dangerous or deadly. It doesn't have an effect if a person consumes it only one time. It only has an effect if this person consumes it over and over again. Like you did" he explained, grinning widely at Mal'Ganis.

"Basically, this poison causes that you won't be able to complete any spell for quite some time. Now, you are asking yourself why didn't you notice earlier that you are not able to complete spells. The answer is very simple. You were too arrogant and didn't participate in the battle. You didn't train or prepare for the war. You didn't even try to cast any spell before the war so you didn't find it out. How does it feel to lose because of your own arrogance and foolishness, demon?"

"I haven't lost yet, Lich" hissed Mal'Ganis brandishing his sharp claws. "I'm still able to fight. I'm still strong enough to tear your stupid head apart from ugly your body"

"I don't think that these will save you" responded Kel'Thuzad, pressing his hands together. A shockwave hit Mal'Ganis and flung him against the nearest wall. He collided with it and landed on the floor, groaning loudly.

I knew that this was my time to shine. I sprinted forward, reaching Mal'Ganis before he was fully back on his feet. I connected my hammer's head with his jaw, causing that his head snapped backwards. I rammed my hammer in his stomach, cutting one of his wings off with Ashbringer so that he wouldn't be able to raise in the air. A pained cry escaped his lips. He tried to fight back but he was too slow for me.

I hit him again with my hammer, causing that he spat a large amount of blood out. He raised one of his claws, trying to hit me but an ice spell hit it, freezing the claw to the wall behind him. He roared out loudly. Although his very loud voice hurt my ears, I was able to bear it without having to withdraw.

My hammer hit his jaw again, breaking it with ease. A loud pained cry escaped the dreadlord's throat as I smashed his jaw with another hit. I cut his other wing off before he was able to gather himself. I cut off his free hand, making a sidestep so that the arcane blast hit him instead of me. I regarded him for a small moment before I thrust Ashbringer through his chest, pinning him to the wall.

I walked to the side, allowing the archers and spellcasters to hit him over and over again. I turned around, looking at those who were firing at him. I spotted a few former citizens of Lordaeron who had fled with Jaina to Kalimdor and had built Theramore. It was unmistakable they were more than happy to make Mal'Ganis pay for everything his intrigues had caused.

I turned my back to Mal'Ganis, waiting a few moments before began to walk away from the defeated dreadlord. His pained screams were music to my ears and caused that a satisfied smile appeared on my lips as I walked to the room's exit.

I returned later, noticing that Mal'Ganis was gone. I walked to Jaina, putting my arm around her.

"He is dead forever. The former citizens of Lordaeron injured him much more and made him suffer for what he did to Lordaeron before I teleported him to the Twisting Nether and killed him there"

I smiled as I heard that, caressing her chin with my hand. "Did he beg for mercy?"

"No, he didn't but hearing his pained cries was satisfying enough" she responded and took my other hand. She removed my gauntlet and intertwined her fingers with mine. I caressed the back of her hand with my thumb, staring into her beautiful eyes. She had to step on her tiptoes to connect her lips with mine.

I didn't hesitate and returned her kiss, wrapping my arms around her back. Her skilled tongue managed to part my lips and invade my mouth. My own tongue brushed past hers, mimicking the actions of her tongue. We explored the mouth of the other for a few moments before we pulled back. But we remained close, smiling as we stared into each other's eyes.

Jaina cleared her throat, putting her arm around my back as she looked around. I did the same, noticing that the others were relaxing from the fight or were eating together. It didn't seem that we had lost too many living soldiers. We lost dozens of undead creatures which had been either chopped into little pieces by Selania or had been burned to ashes by fel flames. But most of the fallen undead creatures had been reanimated by our necromancers. The fallen humanoid creatures were brought through a portal at this very moment to make sure they could get buried properly.

"How do you feel?" asked Jaina eventually.

"Well, I had killed Mal'Ganis once back in Northrend. I made him pay for what he has done to my kingdom. At first, I wanted to make him pay that he kidnapped you. Because of him, Lady Rissya was able to turn you into a demon. But then I realized that your transformation is a gift and not a curse. Your ability to change forms allows you to look like your former self. You are alive again so you are also able to get pregnant. I have always wanted to have kids with you, I was just too inexperienced and too dumb to realize it before the fall of Lordaeron. That doesn't mean that I'm thankful what Mal'Ganis and his family did. Their actions separated us in the first places and caused our deaths" I responded, staring into her beautiful blue eyes.

I put my left hand on her belly, noticing that it was swollen a bit. I knew that Jaina was in her fifth month, meaning her belly should be a lot bigger normally. I assumed that the reason for that was that the body of a female Nathrezim worked differently than a mortal body.

I remembered the numerous conversation I had with Jaina. Most of the time we had talked about Jaina's participation in the war. I had tried to convince her that she should stop fighting to not endanger our unborn child. She had told me that she was really worried about our child's safety but she had also told me that she was needed for the battle. She had convinced me that the Alliance may be able to defeat Selania and Mal'Ganis without her help but they would definitely need her help against Thel'zaron.

I had to admit that she was right. She always was. She was one of the most powerful, maybe even the most powerful mage of the Alliance. Fighting with or without her would make a huge difference and would heavily influence the outcome of the war. Although I didn't like the thought that my pregnant Jaina would still participate in the war and could get hurt there, I stopped arguing with her and accepted that she would fight with us.

At least she had assured me that she had cast multiple spells on herself to make sure that our unborn child had the best protection, not to mention that she had met the Dragon Queen Alexstrasza, the Aspect of life, who had blessed Jaina and gifted her a portion of her power. I knew Jaina pretty well. As soon as she had set something in her mind, she wouldn't stop until she got what she wanted. Arguing with her was pointless.

I rubbed her belly beneath her robe, which looked exactly like the one she had worn when we had investigated the Plague in Lordaeron. In general, her outfit looked exactly like the archmage outfit she had worn before the fall of Lordaeron.

She put her hand on mine, encouraging me to continue. I looked at her, giving her my brightest smile. She returned the smile, staring into my eyes. I pulled my hand away eventually, putting my arms around her waist.

I noticed Varian that was coming closer to us.

"It seems that Mal'Ganis' father is not in the castle. Sylvanas and the rest of the Horde aren't either. Our best rogues have checked the remaining rooms. They spotted a few dozen demons but they didn't see dreadlords among them. It seems that he has fled before it was too late" spoke Varian, making a serious face.

"He won't escape us forever. Let's clear the castle and occupy it, then we can figure out where he could hide. We will find a way to locate him" said Jaina.

"Yes, we will" I assured.

"Good, then we should rest a bit before clearing the remaining rooms" said Varian.

Jaina nodded. "Yes, we should do that"


	46. Together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A surprise is waiting for you

I rolled up the scroll and put it on the table next to me. I turned my head, looking at the balcony on the left side of the room.

There she was.

The most beautiful woman of Azeroth stood right in front of the balustrades of the balcony. Her elbows rested on the marble balustrades; her upper body was bent forward as she observed what was happening outside. She was wearing her purple coloured archmage robe, most of her golden-blonde hair was hidden beneath her hood. It seemed that she didn't notice me because she didn't turn around as I came closer with each step I made.

I noticed that she had a tensed expression on her face. But this expression changed as I approached her and wrapped my arms around her waist from behind. My body was gently pressed against hers. I put my head on her left shoulder, closing my eyes. I was able to hear her slow and controlled breaths. I was able to hear her heartbeat and I was sure that it was beating so fast because I was so close to her.

After all these years, after everything I had done - or, in this case, the Lich King had done - she still stayed with me and supported me. She still loved me even though my actions had led to the deaths of hundreds of thousand creatures. She had been killed by the Scourge and raised as well. I still felt guilty for this even though I knew that the dreadlords were the ones who were responsible for everything.

Mal'Ganis - who was the result of incest -, his whore of a mother and his bastard of a father were responsible for the fall of Lordaeron, my corruption, the fall of Quel'Thalas and the death of Jaina. Mal'Ganis and his mother had already paid for that. Only his father had fled his fate. But he won't be able to escape forever.

I opened my eyes after a while, noticing that Jaina was regarding me out of the corners of her eyes. A smile appeared on her lips as she continued to look at me. I took her hands and intertwined our fingers, rubbing the back of her hands with my thumbs while I held them right in front of her upper body.

She became more relaxed than she already was, her breathing was slow and steady. She leaned back, snuggling against me. I returned her smile, burying my face in her neck. I kissed her neck softly at first, then a bit rougher to leave a love bite which would last for at least three days.

We were silent, just staring at each other and enjoying each other's embrace for nearly an hour. Jaina turned her head eventually, looking at the city which was lying to our feet. I had never visited Theramore before. I had only heard that a few thousand survivors from Lordaeron had fled with Jaina to the southeast of Kalimdor and had built a city on a large isle.

I had heard about it but never visited it before. Jaina had spontaneously decided yesterday that we will move to the city she had helped to build. We had packed the most important things together, told each of our friends about this decision and travelled to Theramore Isles with Calia and Marcus. At this very moment, Marcus was exploring the city with his aunt so that Jaina and I could spend a few hours together.

Calia hadn't needed to come to Theramore but she had agreed when Jaina had asked her if she would join us. I could understand Calia. She had considered me lost for over a decade so it was only natural that she didn't want to be apart from me. I was the only family she had left. Well, Marcus also counted to her family because he was my son. Not to mention my unborn child which was growing in Jaina. Calia regarded Jaina as her family as well even though we weren't married. This was another reason for her to come with us.

I hadn't seen much of Theramore yet but I could tell from what I had seen so far that this city was very beautiful. The few citizens I had met so far had been very friendly and regarded me as their king even though I wasn't. Jaina was the ruler of this city and we weren't married so I wasn't Theramore's co-ruler. Still, the few inhabitants I met had greeted me as Lord Menethil or sometimes even as Prince Arthas.

Jaina and I were living in the largest tower of Theramore which stood in the middle of the magnificent city. We lived at the highest level of the tower. Marcus' and Calia's rooms were next to ours. Our room, which had been previously only Jaina's room, was nicely furnished with expensive-looking furniture. A lot of shelves which were filled to the brim with books stood on the other side of the room next to Jaina's wardrobes where dozens of outfits waited to be worn by her.

I had managed to catch a short glimpse in the three wardrobes. I had seen outfits she had never worn before, at least not when I had been around. I had also seen outfits she would only wear in the bedroom and only for me. And I had seen items in the drawers of her wardrobes and night table I didn't want to talk about.

Lots of paintings hung on the walls. There was a family painting of her brothers, her parents and herself. There was a painting of me in my paladin armour. There was also a painting of me and Calia. The newest additions to her collection were the two paintings she had gifted me to my birthday. They were hanging on the opposite side of the room so that we could see them whenever we entered the room.

Jaina was a woman who had a good taste in what looked good. That was one of the many reasons why she had chosen me instead of others. I knew I didn't deserve a woman like Jaina. I didn't deserve the love she was feeling for me. But I was glad that she had accepted me and was still loving me.

Jaina took another deep breath as she stared at the many buildings beneath us. From the highest level of the tower, the many inhabitants, which walked over the many streets and lived their daily lives, looked even smaller than insects. I recognized some of the inhabitants I had seen so far. Of course, they looked fifteen years older than the last time I had seen them but I still recognized them. They had been more than happy when I had greeted them with their names.

"Theramore is such a beautiful city. You did a very good job as you built it. I'm glad that not every former inhabitant of Lordaeron died back then. You did the right thing when you fled to Kalimdor with as many inhabitants as possible. It was the right decision to listen to the mysterious prophet. I wish I hadn't been so stubborn back then. If I would have listened to him, I could have tried to convince my father that fleeing to Kalimdor is the right thing... Instead, I followed the path of vengeance and destroyed everything my family had built up over generations" I spoke quietly. My voice was filled with regret and remorse. My gaze rested on my feet.

Jaina brought my left hand to her lips, kissing it softly. "It's okay, Arthas. You couldn't know that it would end like this when you followed Mal'Ganis to Northrend. I should have gone with you. I could have prevented that you would pick up Frostmourne. Both of us did things we regret now but hating ourselves won't change anything. What we can do is to accept what happened and try to be better persons"

I wrapped my arms tighter around her body, pulling her closer to me. I didn't want to let her go. Never ever. I wanted her to be in my arms forever. I wanted to stand with her on the balcony and regard the daily lives of the former citizens of Lordaeron forever. I wanted to be together with her until the end of time. Until the sun would rise in the west and would go down in the east.

Of course, living in peace was only wishful thinking. Even killing Thel'zaron wouldn't stop the Legion from invading us again sooner or later. They would need a lot of time to strengthen their ranks. They would need a lot of time to get strong enough to invade us once again. It could take decades, centuries or millenniums until they return. But they will return and we will be there to defend Azeroth.

Azeroth will never be safe as long as the Burning Legion kept existing. But even Thel'zaron's death won't change anything. There will be other commanders of the Burning Legion which will try to conquer Azeroth. We will kill every single one of them but for now, we had to deal with Thel'zaron who had disappeared after his son had been killed two months ago. I didn't know what he was planning. Nobody knew that. I just had a bad feeling about what could happen.

Jaina must have noticed the tensing up of my body when I started thinking about the bastard who caused all these horrible things to Jaina, to my people and to me. She snuggled closer against me, caressing the back of my hands softly. She let go of my hands, turned around and stared directly into my face.

She stepped on her tiptoes, wrapping her arms around my neck before she leaned in and sealed her lips on mine. Even though I had expected the kiss, a surprising sound came out of the back of my throat. She smiled into the kiss, parting my lips easily. Her tongue invaded my mouth, licking every reachable corner. My own tongue brushed past hers, exploring her mouth as well. We held the kiss for a while, pulling back without knowing how long the kiss had lasted. We didn't need to breathe so the kiss could have lasted for several hours if not even longer.

Jaina's beautiful glowing eyes found mine immediately as she pulled back. Her lips formed a happy smile, one of her hands touched my cheek. She rubbed my left cheek softly before her hand moved up to my hair. She ran her hand through my long silver hair, toying with it.

"I liked your blond hair more than your current colour. Don't get me wrong, silver looks good on you but it is not as good as blond"

"I know that you like my blonde hair more. I just thought it would fit more to the new truesilver armour the blacksmiths of Ironforge have crafted for me. I can dye it blond again if you want"

"You don't need to" responded Jaina and pressed a kiss on my jaw. I smiled at her, freeing her majestic golden blonde hair by pulling her hood down. She returned the smile, allowing me to run my cold fingers through her hair. Her smile became wider as I put my left hand on her exposed swollen belly. I closed my eyes as I caressed her belly softly. I put my other hand on the 'room' where our unborn child was growing. Jaina put her hands on mine, smiling happily as I expressed how happy I was about the child who should be born in two months.

We stayed like this for a while, no saying anything. We enjoyed the pleasant silence between us. The silence lasted for almost an hour until Jaina decided to ask me something. "Do you find me beautiful?"

I frowned, wondering if this was a serious question. She knew that she was the most beautiful woman on Azeroth for me so I was wondering why she asked me this question. I didn't hesitate to answer her. "Of course, I do"

"Even when I'm fat like this?"

Fat? She didn't look fat. Maybe she was only thinking this because of the surplus of hormones she was having. I knew that the additional hormones, which were produced during pregnancy, could overwhelm a woman sometimes. Behaving differently or asking random questions was only natural for her in this condition.

"You are not fat. You are carrying out a beautiful tiny creature in your belly. You don't need to worry. I will always love your appearance, even if you weight sixty pounds more. I love your appearance but, in the end, it's your character which attracts me the most. I love you no matter how you look. Don't worry you will be slim again a few weeks after you have given birth to our child" I responded and caressed her back and belly at the same time.

"If you find me beautiful why haven't you touched me then since I had decided to show everyone that I am pregnant"

"I do touch you every day. I am touching you at the moment" I responded, giving her a confused look.

"I didn't mean that kind of touching" she responded, biting her bottom lip as she blushed a little.

My eyes widened when I realized what she wanted from me. "Oh, yeah... To be honest, I thought it's kind of awkward to go inside you while our child is growing in you"

Her blush became heavier but she didn't look away from me. She took my hand and put it on her ass. "You know that there is another hole you can make love to"

"Err, well we never did... we never tried it before. I'm afraid that this could cause a lot of pain for you"

The blush disappeared out of her face" I have endured much worse pain over the years" she responded, sounding determined.

"Are you sure you want this?" I asked carefully.

"I haven't had sex for two months. Just because I'm pregnant doesn't mean I'm not a woman with needs and desires" she responded, sounding a bit upset. She put her hands on her hips, looking up at me with narrowed eyes. She could really scare me when she looked at me like that. "Do you bed me now or not?" she asked with a strict sounding voice.

"Of course, my love" I responded immediately, wrapping my arm around her as we walked over to the bed on the opposite side of the room.

* * *

I couldn't complain about our lovemaking. As always Arthas was very gentle, even much gentler than he usually was. He treated me like a porcelain doll, fearing that I could shatter if he would thrust too hard. Not that I would complain about this but normally I loved it when he was a bit rougher. On the other hand, it was the first time that Arthas had made love to my butthole so I was more than glad that he had been very gentle because it had really hurt when his huge and thick manhood had entered my ass for the first time.

He hadn't moved his hips at all for the first minutes. He had waited until the pain had vanished and my tight ass had gotten used to his manhood. I had remained on all four when he had leaned forward, whispered a few arousing words and started to kiss my neck, leaving love bites behind. He had started to push his hips forward eventually, causing me to moan out whenever his hips had come in contact with my butt cheeks. Most of the time he had caressed my breasts or my belly while he had kept thrusting his hips forward.

Overall the lovemaking had been different but not worse. I had really enjoyed it and Arthas had joined it as well. He wouldn't have screamed my name when he had released his load if he wouldn't have enjoyed it. I never had anal sex before and I wasn't looking really forward to having it again. But I was a woman after all, so it was only natural to have sexual needs. If I wanted to have sex with Arthas before the birth, I had to allow Arthas to make love to my butt more often. I assumed that he was also preferring my womanhood but, in this case, we had no other choice than using my butt.

We were still lying on the bed, cuddling up together. We were still naked, only the white blanket covered our lower bodies. I laid on my left side, looking at Arthas. My head rested on his right shoulder, my large breasts, which had become larger since I had become pregnant, were pressed against his right arm. The fingers of my left hand were intertwined with the fingers of his right hand.

My other hand caressed his muscular stomach. Sometimes my hand travelled downwards, causing that a low moan escaped Arthas' lips when my hand touched a certain spot beneath his waistline. We laid there for an hour, doing nothing much except cuddling, exchanging a few kisses and caresses, and enjoying the presence of each other.

We got up eventually, dressing up. We only put on what was necessary. Arthas put on his underwear and a silver-coloured tunic. I put on a blue nightgown which didn't hide my round belly. Arthas walked over to me, as soon as I had put the gown on, hugging me from behind. He put his hands on my belly, caressing it softly while he kissed my left ear. We stayed like this for a while until we decided to sit down on the nearest armchair.

With my big belly, I wasn't really able to face Arthas. But I wanted to have very close body contact with him, so I sat down normally, pressing my back against his muscular upper body. I relaxed and closed my eyes when I felt his hands on my hips. His hands caressed my hips before they wandered upwards, taking care of my tensed shoulders. He massaged them gently, pressing kisses on my neck from time to time. I didn't know how long he had massaged me but he stopped eventually, caressing my belly once again with his hand. I got tired over time as he continued to massage me. He was so good at what he was doing that my body relaxed, causing that I fell asleep eventually.

I opened my eyes, wondering how much time had passed as I looked around. I spotted hundreds of rose petals which were spread across the floor and the table in front of me. I saw dozens of candles around me and on the table. I noticed that the balcony door was closed and the light was dimed so that only these candles enlightened the room.

I felt soft silk lying on my smooth skin so I regarded myself to find out what I was wearing. My eyes widened when I realized that I was wearing a beautiful light blue dress. It was made out of the finest silk on Azeroth and decorated with dozens of colourful gems. I noticed that a gorgeous and expensive necklace hung around my neck, right over my breasts, which were accentuated by the dresses' low neckline.

I noticed the mirror in the near so I got up and regarded myself. Even with this big belly, I looked gorgeous. I had to admit that Arthas knew what looked good. I didn't take it amiss that he had chosen a dress with such a low neckline. My breasts were barely covered but that didn't bother me. I loved my breasts and I loved that Arthas loved them as well. He expressed his love for my breasts very well whenever we made love.

I turned around when I noticed the presence of another person. It was Arthas wearing a gorgeous suit which silver colour matched perfectly with his hair. I spotted two golden roses. One in his pocket square and one in his hand. He smiled as he approached me and put a strand of hair behind my ear. He put the rose behind my ear, pressing a soft kiss on my left cheek. He pulled back and smiled at me, chuckling when he noticed the surprised expression on my face.

I was speechless for the first minutes. I didn't manage to say anything. I just stood there and regarded him. He put my face in his hands, caressing both of my cheeks without saying anything. After a while, he took my hand and guided me over to the other side of the table where a delicious looking meal awaited me.

He pulled the chair out and allowed me to take a seat. He walked to the opposite side of the table, taking a seat as well. I already missed being in his near, knowing that I wouldn't be able to touch him and hold his hand like we normally did when I ate. At least I was able to look directly into his handsome face while eating.

Arthas smiled at me, signalizing me to not hesitate to take a bite. I looked at my plate, smiling when I recognized its content. Arthas had served me my favourite meal - Spinefine halibut with roasted potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers and other vegetables, and a mild sauce. Next to the plate was a glass which had the form of a wine glass but it was filled with cherry juice. I also spotted a small bowl filled with strawberry yogurt. I looked up to Arthas, returning the wide smile he was giving me.

"Thank you, Arthas. This is so romantic" I spoke. I didn't hide that I was touched by this surprise. Arthas' smile became even wider as his ears heard my words. He lifted one hand, snapping with his fingers. Suddenly, three famous musicians from Kul Tiras appeared from nowhere behind me and began to sing.

They wore typical Kul Tiran clothing and sang my favourite song from Kul Tiras. The woman had a very high and sweet-sounding voice while the voices of the males were a lot deeper. The singers knew pretty well how to take advantage of their different voices. Hearing them singing my favourite song and other songs from Kul Tiras caused that my heart was overflowed with joy and happiness.

My eyes rested on the music group for a few minutes before I looked back to the other side of the table where Arthas was sitting and regarding me with his sky-blue eyes. He was still smiling, signalizing me to eat the food before it would get cold.

I took the fork and the knife in my hands and began to eat the fish. The taste was so indescribably delicious that my taste buds exploded over and over again with each bite it took. The vegetables and the roasted potatoes were delicious as well. Same counted for the cherry juice and the dessert. I could swear that I had never eaten a better meal before. I finished eating eventually, cleaning my mouth with a serviette.

I looked up to the other side of the table, frowning when I recognized that Arthas wasn't sitting on his chair anymore. I looked around, wondering who he was. My heart skipped a beat for a moment when I saw him kneeling next to me. My heart stopped beating when I saw the sparkling object in the black little box he was holding in his hands. It was difficult for me to think clearly because hundreds of different thoughts crossed my mind.

My heart began to beat again but it beat so fast that I feared it would explode sooner or later. For some reason, I still thought that this was a dream. This couldn't be real, could it?

_Or is it real?_

_Is he really proposing to me?_

_He is doing it, right?_

_Yes, it's true._

_Arthas is proposing to me._

_ARTHAS is proposing to ME!_

My Arthas. The real Arthas and not the Arthas who appears in my dreams.

The proposal was as real as the baby in my womb.

Arthas was still kneeling next to me, looking at me. I turned around in my seat so I could look directly at him. I assumed that I was making a very surprised expression at the moment.

"Dear Jaina. We know each other for a while - Since our youth to be exactly. From the very first day we met, I knew you were someone special. Turns out I was right. You are the most beautiful, the most talented, the funniest and the most vivid person I ever met. We have had our disputes in the past and we have broken up as well in the past but we have always found one other again. You have freed me from the Lich King's control and helped me to overcome my grief and self-hatred. You showed me that I'm still able to have feelings. You showed me that I'm still able to love.

I love you with all of my heart and I will promise you that I will never let you go again. I will always be with you and I will always support you. You will be the only woman who will carry out my future children. There will be no other woman except you. You are the love of my life. There is nothing which can separate me from you. I will always stay by your side "

He made a small pause, staring into my eyes before he continued. "Lady Jaina Proudmoore will you marry me?"

He held the box with the ring higher so that I could admire the expensive and gorgeous looking object better. The ring was made out of truesilver and decorated with golden symbols. At its centre was a large round red diamond in which surface Arthas' image had been carved in. It reminded me of the red gem of the locket I had given Arthas years before our first separation.

Even though my fascinated eyes were drawn to the gorgeous ring in Arthas' hands, I still managed to avert my gaze as I spotted something which aroused my interest. My gaze fell on the locket he was carrying around his neck.

It was MY locket. The locket I had given him a while ago. The locket I believed had been thrown away by the Lich King. But he had always kept it. Arthas spirit had always remained in the Lich King so he hadn't been able to destroy it or throw it away.

Tears formed in my eyes as my brain assimilated what had just happened. Arthas' detailed and extensive proof of love left me speechless for a few moments.

I managed to calm down a little so I could speak again. I gave him the only answer which sounded right to me. "YES ARTHAS, I WANT TO MARRY YOU!" I screamed happily.

The little amount of worry vanished out of his face and was replaced by joy. He took the ring out of the box and slid it on the wedding finger of my right hand. I regarded the ring for a few moments before I looked up at him. I stood up and embraced him, sealing my lips to his. He lifted me up and whirled me around, still pressing his lips against mine. He put me down after a few moments, deepening the kiss by inserting his tongue in my mouth. We shared the sweetest kiss of our lives. We pulled away after a while, not saying anything as we stared into each other's eyes.

Our staring was interrupted by a loud knock at the door. I looked at the door, cursing silently. Who dared to disturb us at this moment? I walked to the door, hoping that the person was knocking because of an important reason. I opened the door wide enough so that I was able to see who was standing behind the door. It was Calia who was wearing a golden robe.

"I'm sorry to disturb you but I have to tell you something. A servant told me that two familiar persons, who want to see you, arrived a few minutes ago" she said calmly.

"Who is it"? I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Your brother and your mother"

My mother? My mother! This was not possible. I hadn't seen my mother in years because she hadn't wanted me in her near. She hadn't wanted to maintain contact with me because I had become an undead creature. She was also mad at me and blamed me for the death of my father. I thought that my transformation to a demon didn't make things better.

I knew Calia pretty well. She would never lie to me or make fun of me. So, this could only mean it was true that my mother was visiting me. But why was she visiting me and for what reason? She wouldn't visit me if she wouldn't want to reconcile with me, would she? She wouldn't visit me only to tell me how much she hated me, would she?

I had a bad feeling about this but at the same time, I had high hopes that she had finally forgiven me. Maybe she had changed her opinion about me after she had heard that I was carrying out her grandchild. Maybe she just wanted to reconcile with me because she wanted to meet her grandchild as soon as it was born.

I couldn't know what my mother wanted from me but Tandred was with her which meant that she must have good intentions. Tandred would never come with her to Theramore if he wouldn't be sure that my mother had forgiven me. I had high hopes that this meeting wouldn't end in a catastrophe and that my mother wouldn't ruin this perfect day.

I gave Calia a small smile. "Did they told you why they want to see me?"

Calia shook her head in response.

"I guess we have to find it out, honey" whispered Arthas in my ear as he wrapped his arms around my waist, putting his hands on my belly. He caressed my belly softly, same did Calia. The Menethil siblings smiled at me as they ran their hands over my baby room.

"I'm so happy for you" said Calia. She bent down and pressed her ear against my belly. I chucked and ran my fingers through her soft blonde hair. She stood up eventually, regarding me from head to toe. Her eyes widened when she saw the object on my right hand. A surprised cry escaped her lips which I interpreted as a cry of joy. Her eyes rested on the ring before they changed their focus to Arthas who was grinning widely.

"You didn't" she exclaimed, running her thumb over my knuckles as her widened eyes regarded the beautiful ring.

Arthas chuckled. "I did"

"No, you didn't"

Now it was my turn to chuckle. "Oh yes, he did"

Another cry of joy escaped her lips as she spread out her arms and threw them around my shoulders. She hugged me tightly, resting her head on my shoulder as tears of joy ran over her cheeks. Once again, I ran my fingers through her soft hair, wiping her tears away.

"I'm glad that I can officially welcome you in the family soon" she whispered. She pressed a soft kiss on my cheek before she pulled away. "I have always known that Arthas will propose to you one day but I've expected that this would have happened ten years ago" she said, staring into my eyes.

"Well, a lot has happened... But we have found each other again. Now we can live the lives we have dreamed of. Under different circumstances but we can live the lives we had wished to live" spoke Arthas quietly. He put a hand under my chin, turning my head to him so that he was able to seal his lips to mine. I didn't resist him and allowed his aggressive tongue to part my lips and go wild in my mouth. My tongue brushed past his, licking it while it continued to explore my mouth.

I forgot that Calia was watching us as I melted into the kiss. Calia was still caressing my belly with her hands as Arthas continued to kiss me. This scene must look awkward for outsiders as if we would have some sort of a triangle relationship. Of course, we hadn't and I didn't care what others thought about us. I was happy as long as Arthas was by my side.

Arthas pulled away eventually, caressing my cheeks with his hands while staring into my eyes. I returned the staring, smiling at him. Arthas put one of his hands on my butt caressing it softly while his other rested on my belly. I leaned against him, smiling happily. We stayed like this for a few minutes until we decided to finally go to my mother and my brother.

"I want to see you right after your meeting with your mother. You need to tell me everything" spoke Calia.

"We will, dear sister"

Calia smiled and pressed a kiss on my forehead. "I wish you good luck"

"Thank you, Calia"

She caressed my belly one more time before she said goodbye and began to walk away, waving at us whenever she had made five steps. It was unmistakable that she already missed me. Arthas put his arm around my waist as soon as Calia was gone.

We climbed down the stairs together until we arrived at the lowest level of the tower. One of our servants, a raven-haired woman in the age of thirty-five, guided us to the large dining room. The guards in front of the room's door bowed to us and opened the door, allowing us to enter the room.

My heart began to pulse in my chest as my eyes recognized the form of my mother who was sitting at the opposite side of the long table. She hadn't changed at all over the past years. She had barely aged since I had met her last. She was wearing her typical aristocratic clothes; her grey hair was made up in a bun on top of her head.

I saw a certain expression on her face I hadn't seen for a while. Her eyes didn't look cold and the corners of her lips formed a small smile. She seemed to be happier than she used to be. She got up but didn't move to me. Tandred, who was sitting next to her, got up as well but he approached me.

He hugged me and lifted me in the air, spinning me around before he put me back on the floor. I pulled away eventually, smiling at him as he regarded me from head to toe. He shook hands with Arthas as he greeted us.

He turned his head, looked at our mother and signalized her to come closer. I looked at her as well, showing her that I was not mad at her. Her smile became wider and a small amount of hope was reflected by her eyes as she realized that I didn't hate her. She hesitated for a short moment but then she walked over to me, throwing her arms around my shoulders before I was able to do something.

She didn't say anything at first, she just hugged me and caressed my back softly. "I've missed you so much. I've had no right to treat you like I did. Please forgive me for my behaviour over the last few years"

Her new attitude surprised me so much that I didn't found any words I could say to her in response. She had insulted me the last time we had met so it was more than surprising to witness that she was so friendly to me. I had expected that she wouldn't be angry anymore but I had never expected that she would throw her arms around me and beg me for forgiveness. I looked at Tandred, still not knowing what to say or to do. He smiled at me, signalizing me to accept her hug.

I wrapped my arms around her back, pulling her as close as possible. My belly prevented that she could come much closer but that didn't bother me. I was already happy enough that she didn't hate me anymore. I wasn't angry at her because she had expelled me and hadn't wanted to see me over the past years. It was comprehensible that she had been angry because of my father's death. She may have exaggerated and had never listened to my arguments but that didn't matter anymore. What mattered was that she didn't detest me anymore even though I became a demon.

Her head rested on my bosom, my fingers were tangled in her hair, caressing it softly. I put my hand on her cheek eventually, stroking it carefully. She pulled away, giving me an apologizing look. It was unmistakable that she was regretting her behaviour of the past years. She was regretting that she had insulted me and pushed me away instead of helping me getting along with my new self. She hated herself that she had blamed me for my father's death. She hated herself for everything she had done wrong. But I didn't want her to hate herself. I wanted her to forget about the past so we could finally be a family again.

I stepped forward, pulling her in another hug. The hug didn't last very long but it was enough to signalize her that I forgave her. She smiled happily as I pulled away.

"Oh Jaina" she said quietly. She was at a loss for words. She didn't know what to say so I said something to prevent that an awkward silence would build up. "It's okay, mother. I don't want you to hate yourself for everything. Hating yourself won't make things better. I know what I'm talking about, I've hated myself for a very long time"

My mother didn't seem to be convinced. "How did you manage to forgive yourself?"

"I helped defending the innocents against the Burning Legion and the Scourge. I spend a lot of time with my family. In this case with Tandred and Arthas. They helped me to accept that father's death was not my fault. I guess you have already accepted that his death was not my fault. The next step would be that you stop hating yourself"

"I'm not sure if I will ever be able to forgive myself" she responded, sounding insecure.

"You need to forgive yourself because you will feel better but you also need to forgive yourself for me. Do it for me. I don't want to see you getting depressed because of the events of the past. Let go of the past and concentrate on the future. On our future as a family" I responded, putting her left hand on my belly, encouraging her to caress it. She did it, slowly at first but she did it. Tandred also joined her and Arthas joined too. It felt awkward at first that three different pairs of hands were caressing the room where mine and Arthas' child grew but I got used to it very quickly.

"I can't believe that you are becoming mother, dear sister"

"I can't believe that I'm going to be a grandmother" announced my mother happily and caressed my belly once again.

"I'm glad that you are happy for me, mother"

"Of course, I am. We may have had our differences in the past but you are still my daughter. I will never hate my grandchildren because I don't get along with their parents. This child will be my first grandchild. Hopefully not my only" responded my mother, putting both hands on my belly.

Her words made me speechless. I just smiled at her, caressing her left cheek.

My mother turned her head, looking at Arthas. "I'm also happy that you have found each other again. You match perfectly together. I always knew that you will be the father of Jaina's children. The father of my grandchildren. I can't imagine my daughter with anyone else. There is only one man who can make my daughter happy. I'm happy that you are still in love with her after everything which happened in the past" spoke my mother. It seemed that Arthas was moved by her words. I took his left hand, squeezing it softly. He smiled at me, then he looked at my mother, giving her an equally happy smile.

"I'm glad that you are supporting our relationship" spoke Arthas happily.

"Of course, I do. You are the only one who can make her really happy. I want my daughter to be happy" responded my Mother, glimpsing at me.

"Thank you, mother" I responded happily. Standing all the time had really exhausted me so I decided to take a seat on the nearest chair. Carrying out and protecting my unborn child with all spells I knew drained a lot of power. I was glad that there was no battle going on because I wouldn't be able to fight for too long. For some reason, my unborn child drained a lot of energy. I interpreted this as a sign that the child will become a powerful spell caster one day.

I pointed at the nearest chairs, signalizing my family to sit down. They didn't hesitate to follow my offering. Arthas took another chair and moved it to mine, sitting down as well. He took my right hand, brushing over my ring finger. I knew immediately what he wanted. He wanted to know if we would tell them about the engagement.

I looked at Arthas, giving him a nod. "We have to tell you something" I said, making a small pause. "Something important"

"Alrighty, my daughter. Go ahead"

I played nervously with my fingers until I realized that I didn't need to be nervous at all. My mother had already told me that she would support me. I had reconciled with her, so there was no reason to be afraid of her reaction.

I calmed down as I felt Arthas' hands on mine. I turned my head a little, looking at him. His smile was enough to make my heart beat faster and to make all my worries disappear. The pressure was lifted from my shoulders by this simple smile. Arthas didn't need to use magic to make me feel better. Already his smile was good enough to make me feel comfortable. I didn't know what I would be without him. I didn't want to imagine a life without him.

No. I COULDN'T imagine a life without him. Without him, everything else was meaningless. He was the centre of my world. The sun in my solar system. The brightest star in the sky. He meant everything to me.

I looked back at my mother and my brother who were regarding me curiously. I took a deep breath, exhaling slowly before I lifted my hand and held the ring right in front of their faces. "We got engaged"

My heartbeat became even faster when my mother's eyes widened in surprise. She was completely speechless but her face told me that she was very happy for me. Even Tandred didn't seem to know what to say, tears of joy were formed in his eyes. Same counted for my mother but her tears of joy rolled down their cheeks while Tandred wiped his away.

My mother stood up, kneeled in front of me and pulled me in a tight hug. Her tears came in contact with my dress but I didn't care that it got wet a little. What only mattered for me was that my mother was more than happy about the news. I smiled, not saying anything as I caressed the back of her head with one hand while the other patted her right shoulder softly.

We stayed like this for a while, not knowing how much time had passed when we got up. She hugged me once again before she walked over to Arthas and hugged him as well. He was obviously surprised by that. My mother had approved our relationship after I had introduced Arthas to her and my father but she had never hugged him before.

Arthas didn't know what to say. He just rubbed her back softly while he looked at me. I smiled at him, walked over to my brother and hugged him. Tandred told me that he was more than happy about this. He hugged Arthas as well, after my mother had let go of him, and told him that it was an honour for him to soon be able to welcome him in our family.

Arthas thanked him and patted him on the back, pulling away eventually.

"When will it be?" asked my mother.

"The birth of the baby or the wedding?" I asked in return.

"Both" responded my mother.

I caressed my belly with my hands. "The birth should happen in two months"

"And the wedding?"

I looked at Arthas who shrugged his shoulders.

"To be honest, Arthas has proposed to me an hour ago so we haven't been able to talk about the date of the wedding"

"I'm sorry that we have disturbed you on one of the best days of your lives" responded my mother, looking apologizingly at me and my fiancé. It still felt strange to consider Arthas as my fiancé. I had never expected that this would ever happen. I had never expected that I would marry him one day. It seemed so surreal.

I still couldn't believe that Arthas had proposed to me in one of the most romantic ways I could have ever imagined. I knew that I had to get used to that. He was my fiancé and nobody can change that. Arthas was mine and we will always be mine. I will be the only woman who will give him legitimate heirs and he will be the only man who will be allowed to touch me. He will be the only one who was allowed to plant his seed in me and make me pregnant with his children. I will be his and he will be mine.

Forever.

The only question was when will he be mine. I had no clue, to be honest. I looked back at my mother, noticing that she waited for a response. I smiled at her, signalizing her that everything was fine. "We are fine. This is the best day of my life so far. The love of my life proposes to me and my mother returns to me and tells me that she forgives me for what happened to my father. That's all I've ever dreamed of. I just want to live happily together with my family"

My mother gave me her brightest smile and took my hands in hers, brushing over my knuckles with her thumbs. She leaned in and kissed my forehead. I smiled at her, blushing a little. She returned the smile, regarding the ring on my finger. "That's a gorgeous ring"

"I know. It's the most beautiful ring I have ever seen" I responded, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"Where did you get it and how?" Tandred asked Arthas.

"I have a few friends in Ironforge who owed me a favour" he responded, not telling much more about it.

"Tandred just wants to know which jeweller sells such gorgeous rings for the case that he wants to propose to his girlfriend one day"

"MOM" exclaimed my brother, sounding scandalized. "I just told you that I love her. I didn't tell her that I have any plans about marrying her in the near future"

"You are together for five years. You shouldn't let her wait for too long.

"I know, mother. I know"

I chuckled. "Don't push him, mother. I know you want him to be happy as well but maybe he is already happy enough at the moment. He doesn't need to marry if he is not one hundred percent sure about everything"

"Thanks for defending me, dear sister. The truth is that I'm pretty sure that I want to spend the rest of my life with Cecile. I just want to wait a few years until I'm one hundred percent sure that I really want this" he explained.

Arthas put his hand on Tandred's shoulder, giving him a comforting look. "Jaina and I will always support you. You don't need to rush anything. Take as much time as you need but don't wait for too long"

Tandred smiled, giving Arthas a thankful nod. "Don't worry, I won't let her wait for too long"

We stayed for the rest of the evening in the dining room, talking about the funeral of Tirion and Uther which had happened a week ago. We also talked about the information Sayvenna had given us. It was a shame that none of her information had helped us finding Thel'zaron.

Then we talked once again about the wedding. Arthas and I weren't sure when we want it to happen. We preferred to marry after we could be sure that Thel'zaron was defeated but we didn't know when this would happen. On the other hand, we didn't want to wait for too long.

After a long discussion, we decided that the wedding will happen in one month because we didn't want our first child to be illegitimate. Everyone knew that Arthas and I had belonged together since the day we first met so they wouldn't mind if we wouldn't marry before the birth of the child. But the law saw things differently. If we wanted to guarantee that our child could inherit everything from us, for the case something would happen us, we had to get married before the birth.

My mother promised that she would help us organizing the wedding. I was pretty sure that Calia, Vereesa and Tyrande would help us as well. I was already super excited. I couldn't wait for this. I had dreamed of this since Arthas and I had started dating. I was pretty sure that I will never forget our wedding day. Never.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I found an awesome artist on a comic con who drew me this picture for this story. It was not very cheap but it was definitely worth it.
> 
> Check out "Rote Ronja" on Instagram, Facebook or DeviantArt if you want to see more of her awesome art. She has a lot of talent.
> 
> Thanks you for reading this story so far.


	47. Familiar Stranger

I stared into the mirror in front of me, regarding my reflection with a wide smile on my lips. I had to say that I looked way better than I had expected. There was no need for make-up because I already looked gorgeous. A magnificent diadem, made out of hundreds of little diamonds, stuck in my golden-blonde hair, which reached to my shoulders.

I was wearing a pure white wedding dress made out of the finest silk on Azeroth. The silk had been created with magic to make sure that the dress would never get dirty, creased or damaged. The dress was also immune to magic and would protect me from swords, claws and other sharp objects.

I didn't know what Thel'zaron had planned so I was overly cautious and prepared for all eventualities. I assumed that he would try to ruin the best day of my life so I was glad to be prepared. I half expected that Thel'zaron would try something today.

The wedding's main purpose was that Arthas and I could finally get married. The second purpose was to lure Thel'zaron out of his hiding place. We will give him the impression that we were unprepared and vulnerable. But we weren't. We had prepared a lot of traps in the ceremony hall and stationed a lot of invisible mages which would attack the dreadlord as soon as he would show up.

On one hand, I wanted the wedding of my dreams without any interruptions or bloodsheds. On the other hand, I wanted to catch Thel'zaron and end his intrigues once and for all. Arthas and I could have a second wedding without any incidents as soon as Thel'zaron would be gone. I would be happy with both outcomes but for some reason, I wanted Thel'zaron's death more than having the perfect wedding. Killing our archenemy at Arthas' and my wedding would make it to a unique and unforgettable event.

I was just hoping everything would work out the way we had planned. Only fools underestimated a dreadlord. Nobody really knew what they were capable of. I only knew that Thel'zaron was capable of a lot. He was by far the strongest dreadlord I had ever met. But we had prepared ourselves pretty well, so I was hoping that everything would go as we had planned.

"Your body is really tensed" spoke a familiar voice, bringing me out of my thoughts. "You should relax more, it's your wedding day after all"

I turned my head a little, giving Calia a smile. She was standing to my right, massaging my shoulders with her soft hands.

"Believe me, being so close to getting married is reason enough for your body to tense up. You forget that we don't know if this dreadlord will try something or not. That makes things worse" spoke another familiar voice. "I was also very nervous on my wedding day but seeing Rhonin's smile when my father brought me to him has lifted all pressure from my shoulders. I'm pretty sure that seeing Arthas will help you relax"

"I hope so as well, Vereesa" I responded. I regarded her through the mirror for a short moment before I looked back at myself. I looked down at me, regarding my dress from above. The diamonds, which were attached to the top part of the dress, sparkled brightly. Overall, the dress was very smooth, not very heavy and fitted perfectly. It accentuated my curves perfectly. My big breasts and my firm ass, not to mention my round belly which had become larger over the last month.

I couldn't wait giving birth to Arthas' and my child. I hoped that it would be a boy but I would also be happy about a girl. I didn't know the gender of the child. I only knew that it was only one child - so no twins - and that it was healthy and a fully human and not a demon half breed. The Council of the Six speculated that my child could be able to live forever. They had made a few tests but they are not one hundred percent sure about their theory. They had told me that they would do more tests after the birth.

I would do everything to protect my child if it would come to a battle between Thel'zaron and us. Fortunately for me, I was able to switch forms so I would switch to my demon form which meant that my child couldn't be harmed because it was carried out by my humanoid form. Switching forms was very practical in this case. I was an immortal Nathrezim but I could have the body of a human. I could be like a human. I could eat, sleep, drink and do many other things mortals could do. I was alive.

Arthas was still undead but that didn't really matter for him. Of course, I wanted that Arthas would be alive again but unfortunately, there was no way to make him alive again. Except for turning him into a dreadlord. But I would never do that to him. Not to mention that Arthas was happy with our current situation. As a death knight, he was still able to make me pregnant so we could have the family we always wanted. Arthas didn't need to be technically alive for us to be happy. We were together and we will be together until the end of the time. That was all that mattered.

"What are you thinking about?" asked Vereesa, rubbing my left cheek with one hand while she styled my hair with the other until it sat perfectly.

"Only about me and Arthas. Nothing important"

"If it's about you and Arthas then it's always important" she responded, placing a soft kiss on my forehead before she observed me through the mirror. "You look stunningly beautiful. Arthas will be speechless and lose his mind when he sees you in this dress"

"I don't want him to lose his mind. The last time that happened ended with the near doom of two kingdoms" I responded, sounding a bit worried.

"You know what I mean"

"I do" I responded. I took her hand and squeezed it softly. She smiled at me, caressing my left ear softly for a few moments.

Calia put her hand on my right shoulder, smiling at me as well "I'm pretty sure that my brother will love the dress. Not to mention what is beneath it"

I didn't respond to her. I blushed as I looked at her, nodding my head. She chuckled and caressed my back softly but also carefully because she feared she could ruin the dress. But there was no way to ruin it because a few spells made sure it was always untainted. I signalized Vereesa and Calia to step away. They did as I had asked, allowing me to stand up. I walked to the largest mirror which stood in front of the opposite side of the room.

To the contrary to the mirror on the make-up table, the mirror was a lot larger. It reached from the floor to the ceiling and was at least four feet wide. I put a hand on my belly, stroking it while regarding myself. I had to admit that I looked gorgeous. I would look a lot sexier without my big belly but I had decided to not hide it because I didn't need to look gorgeous. It wouldn't make sense that I would walk around with it every day just to hide it on my wedding day because I wanted to look better for everyone. I didn't even need to look perfect for the love of my life.

Arthas didn't care if I looked like an undead creature, like a demon, like my former self or like a heavier woman. He loved me for who I was and not for my looks. He would love me if I would be a lot heavier or uglier. He loved me because of my character and not because of my looks. All that mattered was that I was his lady and he was my prince. He will become my husband and I will become his wife for eternity.

I regarded myself for a while, caressing my belly again and again. I turned around to look at Vereesa and Calia but I noticed that they weren't here. My eyes widened when I noticed that I wasn't standing in a guest room of Light's Hope Chapel anymore.

I didn't know where I was because everything around me was wrapped up by darkness. I muttered a few words, calling my wands to me. But for some reason, they didn't appear next to me. I tried to create a portal but it didn't work. Not even instant and short-ranged teleportation worked. This meant that I was trapped in this strange place.

I had a bad feeling that this was one of Thel'zaron's traps. But how had he managed that? The room I had been in was protected from any magic. The same counted for me. I had no clue how I had gotten there but that didn't matter anymore. I had to find out where I was, who was around me and how I could get away from this strange place.

I found out that I was not able to teleport things to me or create portals but at least I was able to transform and use magic. The first action I made was to protect my child by transforming into my dreadlord form. My demon eyes were a lot better than my human eyes when it came to seeing in the dark. I was able to see the large throne which had once stood in Thel'zaron's castle and had been removed before we had raided the castle.

On this throne sat the real evil mastermind of the fall of Lordaeron. It was no other than Thel'zaron, who had once been known as the Soul Collector while he had worked undercover for the Legion in the Scourge.

Even though my size had been increased with my transformation, he was still five times taller than me. His red skin colour hadn't changed nor had the colour of his various tattoos. I only noticed that more green symbols had been tattooed on his muscular, exposed chest.

"So we meet again, Jaina Proudmoore. I have to say that you impressed me. I didn't expect that you would be able to kill Melran'Gayze, my wife and my son. You are stronger than I've expected" he spoke and began to clap, signalizing me that he was admiring my strength.

I titled my head, regarding him with a frown on my forehead. It surprised me that he wasn't mad at me that we killed his family. He wasn't mad at me that we conquered his castle - his home. He didn't seem to be sad about the loss of his family. But why? Why didn't he care about them? What was wrong with him?

"It surprises me that you are not angry at me because I killed your wife and your son" I said carefully, eyeing him closely.

"My bastard of a son and whore of a wife were weak as the rest of my followers. Selania Wildreaper and my wife's mistress Sayvenna were weak as well. But what did I expect from a whore who longed after Arthas Menethil and a lesbian whore which bedded my wife? Everyone has disappointed me so I'm glad that they are gone. I can only trust myself that's why I will take the matters in my hands now. I should have done that from the start. It was a mistake to trust others"

"So, you brought me here to kill me? If so, I have to tell you that I will fight back and end you"

His loud laughter resounded through the room. "You will kill me? You can keep dreaming of it" He made a dismissive gesture. "No, I won't be the one who will fight you. I've selected someone who will fight you until give up"

I tilted my head, giving him a confused look. What he was saying didn't make sense at all. First, he told me that he wanted to take matters in his hands but now he will send someone to kill me. I couldn't understand what was going on in his mind.

For some reason, as if he had read my mind, he responded to my unasked question. "I know this sounds strange for you but I want to make you suffer before I will kill you. Your death shall amuse me. And there is nothing which amused me more than an epic duel".

"A duel? Seriously?" I asked, regarding the demon with narrowed eyes. I couldn't believe that he wanted to toy with me. I had defeated everyone who had underestimated me and hadn't taken me seriously. Thel'zaron was too clever to take this risk. At least I had believed that. But he didn't regard me as a threat so he didn't kill me right away. This will be his worst mistake. I will make sure that he will regret not having killed me immediately.

"Do I look like I'm joking?" he asked, leaning forward as he regarded me from above.

I stared into his fel green eyes, not answering because I knew he didn't want to hear an answer for his rhetorical question. He knocked on the armrests of his throne with his fingers, regarding me with a mischievous smile on his lips. "I'm pretty sure you want to know who will be your opponent"

"I don't care who my opponent is. I will kill this person and then I will kill you" I responded. My voice sounded strict and self-confident. He didn't respond to me. He kept sitting on his throne and laughed at my statement.

"We could make things interesting. If I win you will leave Azeroth and never return. You will also make sure that the Burning Legion will never try to conquer Azeroth again. If I lose, I will die so you can be happy"

"You are a very smart woman, Jaina Proudmoore. But I don't fall for your stupid tricks. You will die anyway if you lose this duel, so why should I promise you anything when you win?"

"Because you wouldn't get bored if the duel would be about something" I responded, still staring at him. I was hoping that I could convince him to accept this bet. I was pretty sure that I could beat whoever he had selected as his champion but I was not sure if I would be strong enough to kill him. I could rescue Azeroth and its citizens if I would win against his champion. But only if he would keep his word about which I was not sure of. He was still a demon and I had learned the hard way that demons were not trustworthy.

He didn't respond to my suggestion so I assumed that he didn't accept it. There was nothing else I could do at the moment than hoping that this wouldn't end in a disaster. "So, show me against who I will be fighting" I demanded.

He chuckled. "As you wish, Lady Proudmoore". He lifted his left hand, muttering a few unrecognizable words. Suddenly a portal appeared about thirty feet in front of me.

A woman stepped out of the portal. I had never seen her before but for some reason, this person seemed familiar for me. Her finely chiselled facial features, her voluminous silver hair and her blue glowing piercing eyes looked familiar to me. The high cheekbones, the full lips and her mischievous smirk were familiar as well.

My eyes widened when I noticed who this woman was. She was me. Or at least a different version of me. Her face was almost identical with the face of my humanoid form except that her skin colour was a lot paler the skin of my former Frost Lich form.

She was wearing firm grey armour but this armour was not just a random armour. It was the armour Arthas had worn after he had taken up Frostmourne. This version of me was wearing Arthas' armour and I didn't want to know the reason for that. I had a bad feeling about what this could mean.

This version of me definitely came from a different dimension, from a different version of Azeroth. I was curious how different this dimension was but at the same time, I didn't want to know the details. I assumed that lots of bad things had happened in this dimension. Things which were much worse than the corruption of Arthas. I also assumed that I would find out what happened to the Jaina from this universe. But I had to keep in mind that no matter what this Jaina would say to me I still had to fight her and defeat her if I wanted to stay alive. So, I should be careful that her words wouldn't touch me too much.

This version of me stood not far away from the portal and regarded me with interest. "Look who we have here. So, this is the lucky bitch who became alive again and is allowed to be happy together with the love of her life"

I tilted my head, staring into these ice-cold blue glowing eyes which rested on me. "It seems that this demon has already told you about me" I statemented, not stopping to regard my evil version.

"He told me a lot"

"At least I don't need to introduce myself anymore. What about you? You look much different from me. What happened to you?"

"Are you sure you want to hear that?"

"Yes, I want to hear everything"

"Even if it's a tragic story?"

"My story is tragic as well, so I don't mind hearing yours"

She chuckled "But we are not here for talking"

"What do you want?"

She tilted her head, regarding me with a much wider smirk. She lifted her hand a little, opening it as if she was waiting that something would appear in it. Indeed, something appeared in her hand. It was a sword which looked similar to Frostmourne.

It had similar runes which were carved in the blade, not to mention that its entire shape looked very similar to Frostmourne's. I also sensed a sinister and powerful aura which came from the inner of the sword.

She pointed the sword's tip at me and responded to my question. "I want your head". She began to laugh evilly as she noticed the tensed expression on my face.

"How would my head be useful for you?"

"It wouldn't" she responded, smiling evilly.

I frowned, a confused expression appeared on my face. "So, why do you want to kill me then? I'm you"

"You are not me. I'm an emotional wreck. But you are different. You seemed to be very happy because all of your friends and family members are still alive. Vereesa, Calia, Mother, Tandred... and Arthas... You are very lucky but I'm not so lucky" she spoke. Her facial expression had been a mix of emotional pain, hurt and loss when she had whispered Arthas' name. Her vulnerability was visible for a few more seconds before she caught herself and became the emotionless version of me again.

"You are embittered" I statemented, making sure we kept eye contact. "You lost all the people who had meant something for you, didn't you?"

She didn't respond to me. She just stared at me; the glowing of her eyes became weaker for a short moment. The blue glowing colour of her eyes became normal again as she bit her bottom lip and shook her head as if she wanted to banish thoughts out of her head.

This woman was so vulnerable that I assumed that I could draw her on my side by saying the right words to her. I assumed that she wasn't as lucky as me. I was pretty sure that he had lost everything which had been important for her. Probably her family, her friends and Arthas... I didn't want to imagine how my life would look like without Arthas on my side. Maybe I would be like her. A creature without hopes and dreams.

I banished the bad thoughts out of my mind before they could make me feel sad. I felt bad for this version of me. But even if she had lost everything I wouldn't just stand still and watch her killing me for whatever reason. I will defend myself if she would attack me. I was still hoping that I could talk to her. I turned my head, looking up at Thel'zaron who was regarding the scene with a barely recognizable smile on his lips. I didn't know what was going on in his mind or what he was planning. I could only assume that he was enjoying this scene.

"It doesn't matter what I have left and what I have lost. I will kill you and that's final"

"I still don't know how my death will benefit you"

She laughed evilly. "It's very simple. I kill you and master Thel'zaron will make sure I can take up your place"

She wanted to take my life to take my place. She wanted to take my Arthas because she had lost hers. That was her motivation. She wanted to be happy but she was so blinded by anger and hatred that she didn't realize that taking my place wouldn't make her happy.

"I don't know if your Arthas was smart but mine is. He would notice the difference if you would take my place"

"Don't worry about that. I know the right spells to manipulate everyone, not to mention that I'm a good actress"

I shook my head in disbelief, signalizing her that her plan was pure bullshit.

"You cannot force love. He will never love you voluntarily"

"I don't care"

"I feel bad for you and your Arthas. I can't believe that he has loved such a manipulating evil bitch like you. I'm pretty sure that he would turn in his grave if he could see you now. Maybe it's better that he is dead than being together with such an evil bitch like you"

A loud roar escaped her icy-blue lips. "Don't you dare to speak of him like this, you stupid whore. Insult me again and I will cut your innards out of your ugly demon body"

I didn't respond to her verbally. I just stared at her and grinned at her provocatively. She snarled loudly. "Stop looking at me like this, you ugly bitch"

I chuckled, closing my eyes. I opened them after my form changed. "Tell me again who is the ugly one of us" I responded. I smirked as I noticed that she was jealous of me because I looked exactly like I had looked like in life. A loud battle cry escaped her lips as she charged at me, trying to ram her sword through my chest.

My retransformation in my demon form happened fast enough so that I was able to stop her sword with my left claw. She tried to pull her sword away but my grip was too firm, which meant that she couldn't attack me again. She snarled out loudly, spitting at me. I just smirked about her pitiful attempts to free her sword and didn't do anything else.

She might be strong. A strong different undead version of me but she was not strong enough. I was a Nathrezim who had absorbed the powers of three stronger Nathrezim. There was no way that any undead creature could harm me. Not even the Frost Lich in front of me.

I snatched her sword away, throwing it on the ground. She followed next, landing not far away from the sword. She got on her knees and tried to grab the sword but I stomped on it with my left hoof, causing that it broke. I stomped on it again, causing that the larger part of the broken blade shattered into millions of little pieces.

"WHAT DID YOU DO, YOU DUMB WHORE? EXCEPT FOR THE ARMOUR, THIS SWORD IS EVERYTHING I HAVE LEFT OF ARTHAS. HOW COULD YOU DESTROY IT?" she cried out. Tears ran down her cheeks as she tried to pick up as many pieces as possible.

She muttered a few phrases, lifting the sword and the shards in the air. She tried something but it didn't work. More tears ran down her cheeks as she realized that the sword couldn't be repaired. For some reason, I felt bad as I saw her kneeling next to the broken sword. I hadn't expected that this sword, which looked so similar to Frostmourne, meant so much for her. I had always hated Frostmourne, even after I had managed to free Arthas from the Lich King's control. I couldn't understand why this sword was so important for her. But I still felt bad for having destroyed the sword. I felt bad for a reason I couldn't explain to myself.

My evil version stood up, trying to attack me with the remains of the shattered sword. Of course, I blocked her attack with ease. I grabbed the wrist of the hand which held the sword, twisting it until she was forced to drop the sword. I ignored the loud pained cry which came out of her lips, throwing her over my hip so that she landed on the hard floor.

I put my hoof on her chest to prevent that she could get up. There was nothing she could do except giving me hateful glances. "I'm not your enemy" I said eventually. "But he is" I added and pointed at the demon who was regarding us with the biggest possible grin on his lips.

"I've no other choice than fighting you" she spat out.

"We always have a choice" I responded, holding her gaze.

"This demon has shown me a lot of visions of you and Arthas. You always had a choice. But I, on the other hand, NEVER had a choice. I was not there when Arthas decided to purge Stratholme. Unlike you, I would have stopped him if I would have been there. But I was knocked out by Kel'Thuzad and only woke up when it was too late. Arthas went to Northrend and took this cursed runeblade before I was able to speak to him. He became the Lich King's puppet and doomed his own kingdom. You know what happened after that. In the end, the Alliance and the Horde killed him before I had been able to speak to him and try to reach him as you did. The Alliance hadn't allowed me to see him nor had they allowed me to go with them to Icecrown Citadel. They killed him and didn't even apologize to me" she explained, tears poured out of her eyes.

I felt bad for her. Really bad for her. Hearing only the begin of her tragic story already made me really sad. I hadn't noticed until now that she was inwardly torn by grief and hatred. Hatred for those who killed her Arthas. I didn't say anything nor did I remove my hoof but I allowed her to continue to speak.

"I managed to sneak in Icecrown a few hours after Arthas' death was announced. They had left his corpse on top of the citadel. They had destroyed his sword, torn his armour apart and defiled his corpse with multiple deep cuts and worse wounds. I've cried and called out his name over and over again as I had held him in my arms. But I couldn't change anything. I couldn't bring him back. Arthas' murderers came back a few hours later because they wanted to throw his corpse from the top of the Citadel. I've tried to defend his corpse with tooth and nails but they didn't give up.

In the end, the threw me with Arthas corpse from the top of the citadel. The Alliance and the Horde have ruined my life. They killed Arthas, the love of my life and they killed me as well even though I didn't do anything. Some of them called me the Lich King's whore and were happy to see me falling to death as I was pushed off the platform. I did nothing wrong but I still died by the hands of these so-called heroes.

But I didn't die forever. I was brought back by Kel'Thuzad. Unfortunately, my former allies have burned Arthas' corpse so Kel'Thuzad wasn't able to bring him back. From that day, I have sworn that I would kill every single member of the Alliance and the Horde. With the help of the remaining Scourge, the reforged version of Frostmourne and the power of the Lich King I managed to take vengeance for what the mortals did to me and the love of my life. I became the Lich Queen and killed everyone who came in my way. I made everyone to a servant of the Scourge as I conquered Azeroth and claimed vengeance"

She made a small pause, her bluish glowing eyes still stared into mine. "So, tell me now, Lady Jaina Proudmoore, when did I have a choice? What could I have done differently? How could I have saved Arthas? I wanted to talk to Arthas but the Alliance locked me away because they were afraid that I would support him. I just wanted to speak with him, reach him and convince him to stop what he was doing. But I never had the chance to do that. They murdered him and they paid for that with their pitiful lives"

I was speechless. I felt shattered. Grief started to overtake me even though this hadn't happened to me. Hearing her sad story had touched my heart. I couldn't retrace what this woman must have been through. I couldn't understand how this woman was feeling. Hearing her backstory really depressed me. I didn't want to imagine how I would feel if I would be in her situation. I wouldn't know what do to if things would have happened differently in my dimension. Losing the love of her life must have shattered her, not to mention that she died even though she had done nothing wrong. I felt so sorry for her.

I remained silent because I knew that no words could change the past or make her feel better. Nothing I could do would make the woman feel better. This Jaina had endured so much pain, grief and other negative emotions. There was nothing I could do to make her feel better. I didn't even know if she wanted to feel better. I only knew that she wanted to take my place. I couldn't allow that but, on the other hand, I couldn't kill her. Not after what I had found out about her. I had to find another solution.

I kept staring at the Lich Queen, not taking my hoof from her chest. She stared back at me with narrowed eyes. Her icy blue lips were pressed together to a thin line. The only emotions she was showing me were anger, hatred and grief. This woman was so vulnerable at this very moment that saying the wrong words could either cause that she would lose her mind and get really furious or that she would get really depressed.

I could say something to her which would cause that she would react in a certain way but I didn't want to. She had already suffered enough, she didn't need to suffer more. She had lost so much. Insulting her would be inhumane. I regarded her for a few moments before I removed my hoof and made a few steps away from her, allowing her to stand up.

She did but she didn't move at all after she had gotten up. She just stood there and regarded me with a confused expression on her pale face. I assumed that she was asking herself why I had spared her.

I was asking myself the same question. This woman attacked me because she wanted to take my place. She may have been unsuccessful but that didn't mean that she wouldn't try it again. But for some reason, I was believing that this woman wouldn't attack me again. I didn't know why I was believing this nor did I know what was going on in the Lich Queen's mind. She was just standing on the same spot as if she had been rooted.

The awkward silence had lasted for almost five minutes as the Lich Queen decided to speak eventually. "Why did you spare me? You could have killed me and one of your problems would have been solved"

"Your death wouldn't solve any of my problems. My only problem is this gigantic demon who has made false promises to you. He is only toying with us. He knew from the beginning that you wouldn't have a chance against me. Still, he brought us to this place and forced us to fight another. This fight was determined to be a one-sided from the beginning. There is no way that you will ever be able to beat me. He knew that but still ordered you to attack me. You are nothing more than a tool for him, same counts for everyone else who serves him. He wants to see you dead as well as me" I spoke, pointing at Thel'zaron as I formulated the next sentences. "I'm not your enemy but he is"

The Lich Queen didn't respond. She remained silent, staring at me. Thel'zaron also didn't say anything. He kept sitting on his throne, regarding us with an amused grin on his lips. I looked at him for a few moments before I turned my attention back to the Lich Queen who was making a thoughtful face.

"My death wouldn't change anything. But yours will. Yours will have an effect. If I kill you, I can take your place and be together with Arthas until the end of time. I could be happy with him. I could speak to him, look at him, touch him and spend much time with him. I could do so many things with him. I only have to kill you to achieve this sweet price" she said.

I looked at her, wondering if she meant this serious. I found out she did. I was asking myself how she could be stupid to believe that Arthas wouldn't notice the difference. We were completely different persons. It was unavoidable that Arthas would notice sooner or later that the Jaina on his side was not his. Not to mention that he would ask himself why she wouldn't give birth to his child.

The Lich Queen might be able to copy my appearance but she couldn't copy what was inside my body. She couldn't copy Arthas' and my child. Her plan was not really thought-out and was already doomed from the beginning. I couldn't believe that she was so stupid that she hadn't thought about that. This version of me was a lot weaker, a lot angrier and a lot dumber than me. There was no way that this woman could defeat me. Not in thousands of years.

I regarded her, telling her that her plan wouldn't work out. I told her that Arthas would notice sooner or later that she was not me, so he would kill her eventually. I told her that fighting me would only end in a disaster for her so I advised her to give up.

Against my expectations, she didn't continue to fight. She dropped the remains of the reforged Frostmourne and sat down on the ground, burying her face in the palms of her hands.

I walked over to her, bending down so that I was able to run my fingers through her silver hair. I put my hand on her left cheek, noticing that her skin was much colder than I had expected. She didn't move at first but after a few moments, she lifted her head, looking at me with widely widened eyes. Tears were pouring down her cheeks and dropped onto the floor. I didn't say anything. Instead, I gave her a comforting look, signalizing her that everything was alright. I caressed her cheeks, wiping her tears away.

She got up and stopped crying eventually. She still hadn't said a word to me but at least she wasn't looking at me as if she wanted to murder me. Even if she would attack me, I would be still protected by a powerful barrier I had cast on myself before she had appeared through that portal. But I was still hoping that I had comforted her enough so that I could talk to her.

Thel'zaron was still regarding us with this wicked smile on his lips. He could attack us if he wanted to but he didn't. I didn't know what he was planning nor did I know why he had summoned this evil version of me to fight me. He must have known that this woman was weaker than me so why had he summoned her? If only I could know that.

I looked back at the Lich Queen who was regarding me with an emotionless expression on her face. "You truly love Arthas, don't you?" she asked after a while. I could swear that I had seen a small amount of curiosity on her face for a small moment.

"I do, with all of my heart"

"And he loves you" her response sounded more like a statement than a question.

"He does"

She hesitated for a moment before she asked me the next question. "Are you two happy? I mean really happy?"

I chuckled. "Yes, we are really happy. There is only one thing which would make us happier than we already are. The death of this demon. He is the only remaining threat which prevents us from starting a new life without needing to worry about the future. Without the threat of the Burning Legion, Arthas and I can raise a family together without needing to worry what the future holds for us. If he would be gone, we can finally relax and don't need to worry all the time that something really bad could happen"

Her response was a simple understanding nod. She regarded me closely once again and remained silent for a few moments before she asked her next question. "You two are going to have a family?"

"Yes, we do" I responded, smiling happily. "I'm pregnant with Arthas' child"

"I wish my Arthas and I could have had a family and live happily together but the mortals made sure that we could never have that. They destroyed my hopes and dreams on the day where they killed us" she responded, her voice was low and filled with grief.

"I'm so sorry about what happened to you. I wish I could change what happened. I wish I could make your Arthas alive again. I wish everything would have happened differently in your dimension. But unfortunately, I can't change anything"

She was silent but at least the look she was giving me was not a hateful look. It seemed that she didn't want to tear my head apart from my body anymore. She seemed to understand me, even admire me.

"At least there is one universe where Arthas and I are happy" she muttered.

I didn't respond verbally to her sentence. Instead, I put my left hand on her shoulder, patting it softly. A small smile appeared on her lips but it vanished a few moments later.

"Can I see it?"

"She what?" I asked confused.

"Your pregnant humanoid form"

"Why should I show you this form? I have taken this demonic form to protect my baby. Why should I change my form and endanger my unborn child?"

"Are you afraid that I would attack your unborn child? I'm pretty sure that you have cast tons of protection spells on yourself and the baby. My magic wouldn't be strong enough to even break through the numerous barriers which will protect you. Not to mention that much more spells are protecting your baby. I've no chance against you and I've realized that killing you wouldn't make me happy. I wouldn't be able to be together with your Arthas and I wouldn't be able to bring mine back. Your death wouldn't help me at all not to mention that I don't want to kill the only other Jaina I know in the universe. I don't want to kill the only other Jaina I know who is lucky enough to be together with Arthas.

I don't know if there are more versions of us in other dimensions which are happy as well. I can't change my fate so why should I change yours? Why should I hurt you? You didn't cause what happened to me and my Arthas. You only want to be happy with the man you love. You are like me, except you were luckier than me. It wouldn't be fair if I would destroy your future because I'm jealous of you. I've to accept how things are. I cannot always be led by anger and hatred. I've slaughtered hundreds of thousand innocents because members of their races had done injustices to me.

I can't change the past. But I can change. You showed me that I can be so much more. I don't need to be this angry bitch who hates every living creature. Changing won't be easy and I may never achieve my goal but I can at least try it. Helping you get rid of that demon would be a nice start, don't you think?"

She stared at me and smiled. The sudden change in her attitude really surprised me. Half an hour ago she had tried to kill me and take my place. And now she offered me to help me dealing with Thel'zaron. Was this only a trick? Did she only wanted to get my trust so she could betray me later? Did she do that because she had realized she would never be able to beat me under normal circumstances?

For some reason, I trusted her and I didn't know why. Her words sounded honest to me but maybe she was just a good liar. There were enough reasons to not trust her but for some reason, I had the feeling that I could trust her. For some reason, I knew that she wouldn't attack me.

I was unsure about letting my guard down. Well, I wouldn't really let my guard down or make myself vulnerable because I had cast so many spells on myself which would protect me and my unborn child. There was no way for an attacker to hurt me while these protective measures were active.

But I still felt uneasy about changing to my humanoid form. I knew that I didn't need to, especially because I wasn't fully trusting her. I knew that she wouldn't hurt me but I was still overly cautioned about everything which involved her.

The Lich Queen raised her hands in the air, signalizing me that she surrendered. "You can block my magic if you still not trust me. I just want to see your pregnant humanoid form and maybe touch your belly"

I frowned, raising an eyebrow. "Why would you want that?"

"Well, like you, I have always dreamed of giving birth to Arthas' children one day. My Arthas is gone... but yours is not. I just want to feel the aura which will be radiated by a descendant of you and Arthas. I'm pretty sure your child will be very powerful and change the world for the greater good"

I made a thoughtful face as I looked at her. I turned my head, looking at the demon on the throne.

He was smiling mischievously at me. He tilted his head, raising an eyebrow. "Why are you looking at me like this. This is not a trap. If I wanted to see your child dead, I would have already killed it. I had so many opportunities when you were busy getting ready for your wedding ceremony. I could have already killed you in a blink of an eye but I didn't. I have another plan which involves you so I can't kill you. Go ahead and show her your belly in which your bastard is growing"

He laughed evilly as he noticed the upset look on my face. I turned away from him, looking back at the Lich Queen who had a tensed expression on her face. I could see it in her eyes that she hated him as well. I didn't fully trust her but maybe she could earn my trust by helping me.

Thel'zaron had told me that he didn't want to kill me but an hour ago he had told me that he had summoned the Lich Queen to kill me. What was going on? The more information I get the stranger things get. I wasn't sure what I could believe and what not. Thel'zaron seemed to love changing his plans from moment to moment. First, he wanted to kill me and now he wanted to spare me... I was confused. I looked back at the Lich Queen, noticing that she was regarding me with a curious look on her face.

"You can see my humanoid form and maybe I allow you to stay in my dimension until the birth of Arthas' and my child if you help me get rid of his bastard of a demon. He acts as if he is superior but the truth is that he is not. His entire family has underestimated me. They thought they could kill me easily but, in the end, all of them died. He will be no exception"

Short laughter escaped Thel'zaron's lips as she stood up from his throne and made a step forward. His body began to shrink until he was double the size of us. "Unlike the rest of my family, I know exactly what you are capable of. I also know what I'm capable of. Trust me in this, Jaina Proudmoore. I will wipe the floor with you and your 'new friend'"

I spread out my wings, increasing the size of my claws. "We will see who will wipe the floor with who"

He got ready for an attack. "Indeed, we will"


	48. Struggles

Even though I had only a small window of time to react, I managed to jump to the side and avoided that Thel'zaron's claw hit me. He landed on the spot where I had been standing a few seconds before, looking at me with an amused grin on his lips.

"Do you think you can avoid me forever, Lady Proudmoore?"

"I intend to"

His smile became wider until it reached from one ear to the other. "Good luck with that". He appeared next to me, grabbing me by the throat before I was able to do something. He lifted me in the air until my head was on the same height as his. He regarded me with his fel green eyes but he didn't do anything to me. Not at this moment at least.

"Did you really thought that you could run away from me? You might be fast but you are not that fast. I told you that I am not as weak as every other member of my family. But you didn't listen to me because you are too arrogant and overestimate yourself. I overcame your security precautions with ease. None of your spells detected me and nothing warned you that I was coming for you. You would have noticed me if you would have prepared better spells.

You and your friends are weak. Nobody can reach my level. Nobody is a danger to me. Nobody can comprehend what I'm capable of. Azeroth will belong to the Legion. There is nothing you can do to protect the inhabitants of Azeroth. They will die one by one and you will remain with me here and watch Azeroth burn" he let me drop to the ground, laughing evilly as he walked around me.

He regarded me as his prey. He was toying with me. He didn't take me seriously and he will pay for underestimating me. I lifted my left claw, speaking a few demonic phrases to create a large fel fire flame. I threw it at him, hitting him in the chest. A quiet curse escaped my lips as I recognized that the flame didn't bother him. It didn't hurt him nor had it forced him to cast a spell to protect himself. He had just stayed there and had done nothing as the flame had come in contact with his body.

He was still giving me this creepy smile while walking circles around me. "That's all you have got? That's disappointing. I've expected more from the mighty Jaina Proudmoore, the slayer of three of the strongest Nathrezim of our universe. This should prove that I'm by far stronger than every other Nathrezim you have ever met. The flame you have created might have been able to seriously harm my son or my wife but it was strong not enough to injure me. Accept already that there is no way that you can ever defeat me"

I remained silent, not knowing what to say or what to do in this situation. How could it be possible that he was that strong? It may be true that my unborn child had drained a lot of my power but it had only drained the power of my humanoid form. My demonic form hadn't lost any portion of power. Still, I hadn't been able to injure him with my strongest spell. The fel fire flame hadn't bothered him at all. I couldn't sense his aura so I couldn't know exactly how powerful he was. I could only assume that he was far stronger than me.

What could I do? I didn't know... The plan my friends and I had made hadn't worked out. The best mages and spell casters on Azeroth had worked together to create the deadliest and most efficient traps but none of them had worked. For a reason I couldn't comprehend, Thel'zaron had managed to avoid every single trap and spell we had prepared.

Maybe he was so strong that our traps didn't work on him. Maybe he had just foreseen what we would do. Maybe he had smuggled a spy in our ranks who had told him everything. It was not impossible that such a spy had told him the exact locations of our prepared spells and traps. This could only mean that he had found a way to avoid them.

But it didn't matter anymore how he had managed to kidnap me. What only mattered was what he was about to do to me. He could have killed me already if he wanted so there had to be a reason why he was not attacking me. Maybe he wanted to let me suffer and watch all of my friends die before he would end me. Maybe he had planned something different. I couldn't know what was going on in his sick mind. I only knew that something bad was about to happen.

My gaze remained on him. I was wondering what he would do with me. I could attack him but none of my spells would harm him so attacking him was useless. I had to find a way out of this strange place but I couldn't teleport or create a portal. I looked at the Lich Queen, noticing that she was collecting the shards of the sword I had shattered. The hilt with the remains of the blade laid next to her left leg.

I noticed that Thel'zaron's gaze had also shifted to my alternative version. He turned his head, looking at me for a short moment before he looked back at the Lich Queen. He walked over to her, lifting her in the air. He enclosed his hand around her throat, throttling her. She was undead so she didn't need to breathe. Nevertheless, I assumed that she didn't feel comfortable. Her facial expression changed, signalizing me that she was feeling real pain.

I had no clue what I shall do. Try to save her and risk that Thel'zaron's attention would fall back on me? He could do whatever he wanted. There was nothing I could change. He could kill her. He could kill me. He could kill both of us if he wanted. I couldn't change our fates. I was powerless. And I hated being powerless. I was at his mercy but at least he didn't want vengeance for the demise of his family. He would have killed me already if he was seeking vengeance. He had something different on his mind, something I wouldn't like for sure.

I couldn't save myself but maybe I could try to save my alternative version. She had tried to kill me and her sudden change of attitude also made me suspicious of her. But for a reason I couldn't explain to myself, I didn't want her to die.

This woman was me but she had been forced to follow a much darker path. From what she had told me, she had never wanted to follow this path. The humans had taken everything from her that had mattered for her. Even her own life. She had lost the love of her life at the same time where she lost her life.

The same could have happened to me. Maybe that was the reason why I cared for her. I needed to save her somehow. My life was already at Thel'zaron's mercy and it didn't seem that I could negotiate with him about letting me go. But maybe I could save the other Jaina.

I clenched my fist, walking a few feet in his direction. "Let her go" I demanded. "She has nothing to do with what happened between your family and me. She has done nothing to you. She is innocent in this case"

Thel'zaron laughed. "She had a simple task. Fighting you and killing you but she failed. She has violated our contract. She is useless to me so I don't need her anymore"

He tightened his grasp on her throat, giving me a wide smirk. He was testing me. He wanted to know what I would do to save the Lich Queen. He wanted to know how far I would go to save another life which was not important for me. He couldn't know that, for some reason, this alternative version of me had gotten really important to me. Maybe because I felt sorry for her. I didn't want to imagine what would have happened with me if I would have lost Arthas forever. I could consider myself lucky compared to this woman. I had everything she hadn't, until this very moment at least.

At this very moment, we were equal. Both of us were the hostages of this ugly bastard. He could do with us whatever he wanted. He could torture us or kill us but he didn't. He was planning something. Something bad.

I bit my bottom lip hard, thinking about my response. I took a glimpse at the suffering Lich Queen who was still strangled by this demon. Then I observed Thel'zaron for a few moments before I responded to him. "I know that you are a smart guy. You know what I'm capable of and you know what she is capable of. You knew from the beginning that she would never be able to kill me. Not if you give her enough power. But you didn't give her enough power so she lost. You knew that she would lose and you accepted that. I assume that you did this for your own amusement or because of another reason"

"You are smarter than I've expected Jaina. It's true that I let her walk right into the trap. It is also true that I really enjoyed watching you have inner struggles. It is clearly visible that you care for this woman for a reason not even I can understand. Why does she mean so much for you? She has tried to kill you and your baby as well. She has tried to take your place. She would have found a way to deceive everyone and make them believe that she is you. She would have lived together with the love of your life. She would have fucked your precious prince and would have never spared a thought about you. Why do you want to save her? I can't understand this! This makes no sense. Maybe you are not as smart as I've expected. Maybe you are just foolish. But I don't need you to be smart. I need you to be loyal"

I frowned. My eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

He laughed. "You will find out soon" he responded and dropped the Lich Queen to the floor. He walked over to me, lifting me up with ease and pressing me against the wall. He wasn't throttling me so I was still able to speak.

"What are you doing?" I hissed.

He smirked. "You killed my wife so I need another. I need a powerful demon who can give me a worthy heir. Mal'Ganis was never worthy enough to be my heir and he is gone anyways. You are by far the strongest female demon I've ever met. You will give me worthy sons which will help me conquer the universe in my father's name"

I spat at him. "I will never do such things"

He chuckled. "Of course, you do"

"Not in hundreds of thousand years"

"Who said that you can agree on this? You won't be able to resist me as soon as I have gained control over you. Mind control is always a useful technique"

"So, you are going to rape me? Is that how a functioning relationship looks for you? You abuse me against my will?"

"It has worked with Rissya so why shouldn't it work with you? Besides its not rape when you agree after I've gotten control over you" he responded smiling mischievously at me.

"Bastard" I hissed loudly and spat at him.

He laughed evilly, pressing me harder against the wall. "You will be mine but first I need to break your will. I have a few tricks to achieve that. Just wait and see"

He pressed me with more strength than before against the wall, muttering a few phrases. I could only understand half of them but these were so cryptic that I had no clue which kind of a spell he was casting. But I felt the effect of whatever spell he had cast immediately as he stopped muttering phrases.

My skin began to tickle heavily and became colder. Everything around me began to spin around and blur out. I lost the feeling over my body. I couldn't feel my limbs anymore. It felt like I had been separated from my body. As if I was a disembodied soul which was wandering around.

My surroundings became clearer after a while. I gained the feeling over my body back but I found out that it was not my demon body. It was my humanoid body and it didn't show any signs of pregnancy. What was going on?

I bit in my left hand, noticing that I felt no pain. This had to be some sort of a mind trick, an illusion or a vision. I didn't know what was happening, I only knew that this was not real.

I was standing on the top of Icecrown Citadel and regarded the horizon in the east. My ears received evil laughter. Familiar evil laughter.

I turned around, my eyes widened as they spotted the Lich King. He was standing in the middle of the icy platform, Frostmourne was lifted above his head and he was busy raising the fallen champions of Azeroth. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw the ice block in which Tirion was locked in. He was asking for the light's help to give him the strength to defeat the Lich King. I knew what was going to happen.

Tirion will get free and attack the Lich King. He will attack Arthas. This means that Tirion would die. Or would he? The Lich King had only noticed him last time because I had warned him. Without my warning, he would have died. But there was I? Where was the Jaina from the past? She was not there. She was not on top of Icecrown Citadel so she couldn't warn the Lich King.

This meant that the Lich King would die and Arthas with him. I couldn't allow that. I screamed Arthas' name as I had done years ago. But unlike the last time, the Lich King didn't hear me. Arthas didn't hear me so he didn't turn around and kept channelling his spell instead. My heart stopped beating as Tirion broke out the ice block and charged at the master of the Scourge. A last loud scream escaped my lips but the Lich King didn't hear me.

Tirion's sword Ashbringer destroyed Frostmourne. The Lich King's blue glowing eyes regarded the rest of the broken blade in his hands. Jangling sounds were hearable when the fragments of Frostmourne fell on the floor.

The Lich King's deep, normally self-confident voice, reflected irritation. "IMPOSSIBLE!" he cried out as hundreds of thousand souls, which had been released with the shattering of Frostmourne, lifted him in the air and started to attack him.

"No more, Arthas. No more lives will be consumed by your hatred" Tirion cried out as he started to attack him. It was horrible to watch the numerous souls slowly destroying the Lich King's armour. I knew that this thing, the Lich King, was not Arthas but I also knew that he still remained in the Lich King. I had proved that a part of Arthas had always remained in the Lich King. This made it even worse. Watching him getting injured by the souls and Tirion broke my heart. I found myself crying but I didn't wipe the tears away.

I wanted to turn around and look away but for some reason, I couldn't. It felt as if a supernatural power was forcing me to watch the slow and cruel death of the Lich King and Arthas. It was pure torture for my mind to witness what these angry souls were doing to Arthas. In the end, the souls vanished and let a heavily injured Lich King drop to the floor. The corselet had been destroyed and his upper body was covered with long and deep cuts, yawning wounds and other bad looking injuries.

It was unmistakable that he was dying slowly. The bluish glow of his eyes had disappeared, meaning that the Lich King was gone. I walked over to him, kneeling down next to him. Tears were pouring out of my eyes, running over my cheeks and dropping on the floor. There he laid, defeated and close to death.

I knew that this was not my Arthas. My Arthas was unharmed and waited in front of the altar while I was trapped in this nightmare. If only he could know where I was. He will find out eventually that I was missing but he wouldn't find me in time to save me. I was stuck in this illusion and I didn't know how to get out of it.

I was forced to watch Arthas dying slowly. He turned his head, looking directly at me. Could he see me? No, he couldn't, could he? The Lich King hadn't heard my warnings so why could Arthas see me at this very moment? This could only be the work of Thel'zaron. He wanted to break me. He wanted to make me his slave. His loyal servant. His...wife...

But I will stay strong. No matter how often he will force me to watch this sad scene, I will stay strong. I was hoping that at least because seeing Arthas like this was enough to shatter my heart in millions of little pieces.

"Jaina... is it you?" he spoke quietly, his voice sounded very weak. "Yes, it's me Arthas" I responded, not stopping to cry. He coughed blood but then he gave me a weak smile, wiping my tears away with his gloved left hand. "Why are you crying?" he asked weakly. He lifted his upper body a bit but he was too weak to hold this position for too long. I wrapped my arms around his upper body, lifting him a bit up and holding him in my arms.

"I'm crying for you, Arthas... It wasn't supposed to end like this"

He coughed more blood. "But it's going to end like this, isn't it? Is it... Is it over, Jaina?"

More tears ran down my cheeks. I didn't know why I was crying. This was only an illusion. This was not my Arthas but still, I couldn't stop myself from getting emotional. Maybe I was so emotional because I had realized that this would have happened if I would have arrived on top of Icecrown Citadel a few minutes later. My Arthas would have died with the Lich King back then if I wouldn't have reached him just in time. Maybe that was the reason why I couldn't stop myself from crying.

He took my hand and put it on his left cheek. I didn't hesitate to caress his pale and ice-cold skin. "You need to do me a favour, Jaina"

"Anything you want from me, Arthas"

"Always remember our good moments. Remember the good moments we have shared. Remember me how I have been before Stratholme. I will always remain in the people's mind as the monster I've become. I don't care what the others think about me, what matters for me is what you think about me. I don't want you to remember me as the monster the to which the Lich King made me. Please, remember me as the young naive paladin you have loved. That's all I'm asking for"

I was speechless for a few moments. I just stared at Arthas, unsure of what to do or what to say. His handsome blue eyes rested on me, staring deep into my eyes. He gathered the last remains of his strength to remove one of his gauntlets. He put his hand on my right cheek, caressing it softly. His touch was cold as ice, much colder than the touch of my Arthas but I bore it. He gave me a weak smile and I returned it.

"I love you Jaina" he said with a voice which was much weaker than it had been a few moments ago.

"I love you too, Arthas. I will never forget you and I will always remember the good moments we have shared. Our first meeting, the little journey to the prison camps, your visits in Dalaran, our first kiss, our first night together and all the other happy moments we have had together. I will never forget you"

"That's all I wanted. I don't want to leave this world knowing that you hate me"

I pressed my forehead against his', closing my eyes. "I could never hate you Arthas"

He didn't respond. I opened my eyes, hoping that he was still here. He was but his condition had become worse. I wish I could use every necromantic spell I knew but I was unable to use magic in this illusion. I couldn't do anything to save him. I could only sit here and spent the last few minutes of his life with him. I leaned in and pressed my lips against his. He returned the kiss but the longer the kiss endured the weaker Arthas' lips were pressed against mine. I pulled away eventually, tears ran down my cheeks as I witnessed Arthas' last moments before his head fell back and his body became slack. I rested my head on his torso, closing my eyes as loud sobs escaped my lips.

Suddenly, my body tingled once again. I noticed that my head wasn't resting on Arthas' chest anymore. I noticed that I was not holding him in my arms anymore. I noticed that I was not bowing next to him. I found out what I was standing near the edge of the top platform of Icecrown Citadel. I turned around, my eyes widened when I noticed that Tirion was locked in the ice block again and the Lich King was busy raising the fallen champions of Azeroth.

Oh no... This could only mean that everything would be repeated and it won't be repeated only one time. I didn't know if I would manage to endure seeing Arthas dying for a second time. Not to mention for a third or fourth time... Or more often...

Witnessing Arthas' death had touched me emotionally for the first five times, then I had finally accepted that this was not my Arthas. I had managed to bear the saddest moment I had witnessed in my entire life but it had not been easy. But I didn't lose my mind nor had the grief overwhelmed me. I had stayed strong and pulled myself together so that I didn't lose my mind.

I didn't know how many times I had witnessed Arthas' death as the scene suddenly changed. The surroundings began to change. I expected that I would have to witness another tragic event which could have happened or had happened in my dimension. I expected that Thel'zaron would try to break me by showing me my father's death or the death of another person I really cared about. But nothing happened.

I noticed a few moments later that I wasn't trapped in the illusion anymore. I was laying on the floor in front of the wall against which Thel'zaron had pressed me forcefully. I looked around, checking my surroundings closely. I found out that the illusion had been dissolved because Thel'zaron had stopped channelling it. He was not standing in my near, instead, he was trying to hit a person while having a very angry expression on his face.

I noticed that a weapon stuck in his side. It was the remains of the runeblade the Lich Queen had fought with. The sword didn't stick deep in the dreadlord's body nor had the sword seriously hurt him. Nevertheless, had the dreadlord chosen to chase the Lich Queen who was running as fast as she could.

This could only mean that my alternative version had saved me and betrayed her master. Maybe because she had realized that she had been used or because she wanted that I would survive. Maybe she did that because she wanted that at least one version of us could be together with Arthas. Her Arthas was gone but mine was not. Maybe that was her motivation. I couldn't know what her motives were but I was glad that she had saved me.

I was also surprised that it had been so easy for her to interrupt his spell and draw his attention to her. The question I was asking myself was, what should I do? I was not strong enough to seriously harm Thel'zaron but I couldn't abandon the Lich Queen. She had saved me. She hadn't needed to do it but she still had. I owed her something. I had to rescue her. But how?

If only I could teleport us away. Every other spell I knew worked. Every spell except my teleportation spells. I couldn't cast a spell which allowed us to cover distances. But I had to find a solution. There must be something I could do. I looked around, searching for something which could help me. I spotted something next to the splinters of the Lich Queen's runeblade.

It was a brown bag. Where did it come from? I hadn't seen it before. Did it belong to Thel'zaron? Or to my alternative self? I hadn't noticed that one of them had carried a bag at the start of our 'meeting'. Did one of them summon it? But for what reason? And what was in it?

I had to find out what was in it. Maybe it could help me against Thel'zaron. I had to hope that there would be something in the bag which could make me strong enough to deal with the dreadlord. I had no other choice than getting the bag and hope for the best.

Fortunately, Thel'zaron was still chasing the Lich Queen who managed to avoid his attacks. Thel'zaron may be very strong and fast but for some reason, he was not as fast as the Lich Queen. At this very moment, I was asking myself why my alternative version hadn't used this rapid speed against me. She could have easily hit me with such incredible speed and I couldn't have done anything against it. But she hadn't for some reason.

I shook my head, reminding myself that I had not the time for racking my brain over the decisions of the Lich Queen. My alternative version was running for her life so I had to find a way to help her. I rushed to the bag, sighing out in relief as I noticed that the dreadlord was still ignoring me.

I bowed down and opened the bag. My eyes widened when I recognized what was inside. I emptied the bag, regarding the five skulls in front of me. The first four were very large and their forms reminded me of the skulls of demons. The last one was smaller and looked similar to the skull of an orc. What really surprised me were not the forms they had. What surprised me were the powerful auras which were radiated by them. I sensed immense powers which were going out from the skulls.

I had only heard about the skull of Gul'dan which contained a large amount of power. I had never heard of demon artefacts which contained similar immense powers. At least I have not heard about such artefacts in our world. Maybe these objects were from the Lich Queen's dimension. I saw no reason that Thel'zaron would collect the skulls of fallen powerful demons so this could only mean that these skulls belonged to her.

I had heard that Illidan Stormrage had used the skull of Gul'dan to become more powerful. Maybe these skulls could do the same. I couldn't know what happened if I would touch them. They could make me stronger or destroy me. Everything could happen but I had to take this risk. I had to try it or I will end as Thel'zaron's wife. No fate could be worse than becoming the slave of this bastard.

I didn't think twice about it. I didn't hesitate to touch the first skull. I was still in my demon form so I was hoping that the possible side effects wouldn't affect me that much. I was pretty sure that horrible things would happen to a humanoid creature which would touch one of these skulls. But I was a demon at this very moment so nothing bad should happen to me. I was hoping that at least.

I lifted the first skull up, regarding it curiously. It was the skull of a dreadlord and it was vibrating softly as I held it in my left hand. I didn't need to wait long for anything to happen. The skull decayed slowly as its power was transferred over to me. I felt a lot stronger after the skull had become dust. Not strong enough to be able to defeat Thel'zaron but still a lot stronger than before.

I took the second skull in my hand, waiting until its power had been added to mine. I did the same with the third skull, smiling as I noticed how much stronger I became.

I looked at Thel'zaron as I reached for the last demon skull, noticing that he hadn't noticed the change of my aura yet. He hadn't noticed that I had grown stronger and stronger with each skull which had turned to dust.

An immense power, which was stronger than the powers of the other skulls, rushed through my body, causing that a loud roar escaped my lips as I got in a state of pure extasy. I felt so powerful at the moment that I believed that I could even fight the titans. I had become so powerful already but my body was still demanding for more power.

I turned my head a little, looking at the dreadlord who had noticed my power increase. He was making a surprised face, his eyes rested on the orc skull next to my feet.

"What? How did you get...? How is this possible?" he asked loudly as he walked slowly towards me.

I didn't respond to him. My only response was a wide smile on my blood-red lips. "Don't you dare to touch it!" shouted Thel'zaron angrily.

"Touch what?" I asked. I gave him a teasing grin as I picked up the orc skull.

"Put down the skull of Gul'dan! NOW!"

"What if I don't do it?"

"Then I have to punish you" he hissed and cracked his knuckles.

I consumed the power the last skull contained, smiling when I noticed that the power, I had received, surpassed the previous powers I had absorbed.

"You will regret this" shouted Thel'zaron as he charged at me, lifting his left claw to attack me. Normally, I wouldn't have been able to see his incoming attack because he would have been too fast for me but this time, I foresaw his attack.

I knew exactly what to do to block his attack and make him angry at the same time. I caught his claw with my left hand, pushing it away from my face. He roared out in anger, trying to hit me with his other claw but I caught it as well. He leaned in to bite me but I avoided his attempt and kicked him in the stomach. He cried out in pain and his cry became louder as my hoof hit the spot between his legs.

I let go off his arms, smiling mischievously as he kneeled in front of me and held his hands between his legs. This had worked pretty well against Mal'Ganis so it amused me that it worked against his father as well.

I was pretty sure that he would ask me where I had gotten the skulls. I was pretty sure that he would try to engage me in a conversation to buy enough time to recover. He wanted to buy time so he could pull himself together and attack me with all of his power. But I wouldn't grant him this opportunity. I had no reason to toy with him. I just wanted to end this as fast as possible.

I walked over to him, increasing my size until I was two times taller than him. He looked at me, his eyes were widened and reflected fear. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something but I didn't give him the opportunity. I grabbed him by the throat lifting him in the air. I lifted him above me, looking up at him with a triumphant grin on my lips.

"How is this possible?" he managed to say even though my hand was tightly closed around his throat.

"It seems that your former ally has brought something out of her world to this place. You made sure that I can't teleport or bring something to this place but you didn't prevent that she could bring things to this place. You should have cast the same spell, you have cast on me, on her. But you didn't. You wanted to kill her, that was your mistake. You could have spared her but you didn't. That was your biggest mistake. No, it wasn't. Your biggest mistake was to try to conquer Azeroth. You should have never tried to separate Arthas and me. It was also foolish of you to think you can control me. You must know that I hate serving others. I hate obeying others. I'm my own master. There is no one who is allowed to tell me what to do. Except for Arthas"

I stared into Thel'zaron's eyes, giving him my widest and most mischievous smile as I recognized that the amount of fear, which was reflected by his face, had been increased. He tried to fight back. He tried to get free. He tried to get out of my grip but he was not strong enough. My grip on his throat remained steady and got worse with each attempt he made. I knew that he didn't need to breathe so I couldn't suffocate him but I could cause a hell amount of pain to him.

Causing pain to him was really satisfying. I was not a sadist but I had to admit seeing him suffer made me feel better. He deserved it. He deserved what I was doing to him after everything his actions had caused. I wanted to let him suffer for the fall of Lordaeron and the corruption of the love of my life. But if there was something, I desired more than torturing him. It was to end this quickly and leave everything behind me.

I wanted to finally live a normal life with the love of my life. I wanted to live together with Arthas until the end of the time. I wanted to raise a family with him and quicken the name Menethil. With Arthas, I will start a family which will grow larger from generation to generation. The Menethil family will be still remembered in thousands of years. Same counts for the Proudmoore family

But the most important reason why I wanted to end this quickly was that a marriage was awaiting me. Arthas was waiting for me in front of the altar and I didn't want to let him wait any longer.

"Greet your whore of a wife and your bastard of a son when your pitiful soul will be transferred into nothing" I said in eredun, the language of the demons.

Thel'zaron opened his mouth, wanting to say something but I didn't let him. I rammed my fist right through his chest, pulled out his heart and squashed it like an overripe fruit. "You shouldn't have brought me to the Twisting Nether, idiot" I muttered as I dropped his body.

Thel'zarons's skin colour became pale, green cracks appeared on his skin and expanded until his entire body glowed greenish. A loud pained scream escaped his lips as his body dissolved quickly. Not even ashes were left behind. I regarded the spot, where he had been lying, for a few moments.

An amused smile appeared on my lips as I turned around and walked over to the Lich Queen, stretching out my arm. She took my hand, standing up with my help.

She nodded her head, giving me a thankful smile. "Thank you for saving me"

"You did the same for me. We are equal" I responded.

"This sick bastard is finally gone"

"And he will never return" I replied happily.

"I'm sorry for trying to kill you"

"It's okay, really. I don't know what you have been through but I assume that you had a pretty hard time. This bastard has tried to break me by showing me Arthas' death over and over again. I knew that this was not my Arthas so I managed to bear the illusion. But it had been different for you. You haven't witnessed Arthas' death in an illusion. It has been real for you. I'm so sorry for what happened to you. I don't want to imagine how my life would look like if my Arthas would have been killed"

"I might have had a rough time but that doesn't mean I can take the place of another version of me who is really happy. It wouldn't have worked anyway because your Arthas would have noticed the difference. In the end, I would have been killed or at least locked in a prison cell as soon as Arthas would have found out the truth. I'm glad that there is at least one universe where Arthas and another version of me are more or less alive and together. I'm deeply sorry for my attempts to murder you. Please forgive me" she said and bowed to me.

I put my hand on her head, running my fingers through her voluminous silver hair. "It seems that silver looks good on me"

She looked up at me, smiling when I signalized her to get up. "I'm not mad at you" I said.

"I'm glad" she said making a small pause. "I've never expected that I would look that good as a demon"

"I haven't expected it either. I'm glad that I became a demon because I can take other shapes. Usually, I'm walking around in my humanoid form. I really like being alive again. The best advantage of this form is that I can become pregnant which means that I'm able to give Arthas legitimate heirs. That's all that I've ever dreamed of"

The Lich Queen chuckled and put her left hand on my shoulder, patting it softly. She put her other hand on my cheek after I had transformed into my humanoid form. She regarded me from head to toe, her eyes widened when she spotted my large belly. She removed her hands from my cheek and shoulder and put them on my belly. She found a way to sneak her hands under my robe so that she was able to caress my belly without the cloth between her hands and my skin.

I allowed it to happen, knowing that she wouldn't do anything. Even if she would try something, the numerous spells I had cast on myself and the baby were too strong for her. She caressed my belly for a few moments, she even bowed down and pressed her ear against it. She got up after a while, smiling at me. "I'm so happy for you. I'm so happy that at least your dreams can come true. I was not as lucky as you but I'm not jealous at you, at least not so much"

I pulled her closer so that I was able to hug her. I caressed her back softly, smiling when she did the same. Even though we felt very comfortable in this position, we pulled away after a few minutes. I was making a curious face as I asked her the questions which answer interested me the most. "Where did you get these skulls and why didn't you use them for yourself?"

"These were the skulls of powerful demons I slew in my universe. As you know the orc skull once belonged to Gul'dan. The demon skull which had contained the most power was the skull of Mal'Ganis. The three others belonged to the demons who have tried to convince Arthas to join the Legion. I killed them when they tried to take over the Scourge after Arthas' demise. I killed every single commander of the Legion from my universe who has tried to conquer Azeroth. Only Thel'zaron, from your universe, was stronger than me. He kidnapped me and promised me that I could be together with Arthas if I would serve him "

"You could have used these powers to defeat me. Why haven't you?"

"The powers of these skulls can only be absorbed by a demon. The powers would have destroyed my body if I would have absorbed them" she explained.

"So, you brought them to this place so that I could use them to kill Thel'zaron"

"Exactly. As you have said, Thel'zaron hasn't blocked my magic so I was able to summon this bag when he was busy trying to gain control over you. I'm glad that he didn't succeed"

I chuckled. "I'm glad too"

"So, what are you doing now? Thel'zaron is dead so you are finally free right?" she asked curiously.

"I'm going back to my universe. I can't wait to finally marry Arthas. I've waited so long for this day"

"I can understand you" she said, trying to hide her slightly sad facial expression. She didn't succeed at all, so I was able to realize that she still wasn't over Arthas' death. I put my hand on her shoulder, rubbing it softly. "I know you went through a lot. You have lost the most important person in your life but you have to move on. All threats for your universe are gone so you can live in peace finally. I know that a life without Arthas is worth nothing but you need to move on and at least try to be happy. Maybe you find someone else you can love"

"Someone else?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. It was clear that she was doubting my suggestion. "I'm not sure about this"

"I've seen a few different versions of Azeroth where we didn't end up with Arthas but we were happy as well" I told.

"Happy without Arthas? I don't believe that for a second"

I chuckled. "I have seen dimensions where we end up with Calia or Vereesa"

"Are you serious?" she asked, giving me a doubtful look.

"I wouldn't lie to you"

"I've never thought about an alternative universe where we - where another version of us is into women"

"Well, I didn't believe it either at first but it seems that everything is possible in the multiverse" I responded amused.

"I don't really know what happened in the other universes. I'm just glad that this whore Selania didn't exist in my universe. Thel'zaron has shown me visions where she has mistreated you... This stupid whore is a pain in the ass"

"Was a pain in the ass" I corrected. "I killed her together with Arthas and my friends"

"I saw that too. It was really satisfying"

I chuckled. "It was indeed"

"I wish you good luck with your Arthas in your universe. I hope you will be together forever. May you bear many children for him"

"Thank you" I responded as I pulled her closer to hug her. "I hope you can be happy one day in your universe. Maybe you find someone else you can love"

"I doubt that but who knows what fate has planned for me. But I don't think that either Calia or Vereesa will be the ones who will make me happy. I see them as my closest friends and not as possible lovers"

I laughed "Who knows, maybe it could happen. You should give it a try"

"Maybe I do that" she responded as she pulled away. "Maybe not. I will try to be happy at least. Don't worry about me"

I gave her a smile and regarded her for a few minutes before I started to cast a spell. Two portals were created. One appeared behind her and the other appeared behind me. I pointed at her portal, signalizing her to go through it. She nodded to me and gave me a thankful smile before she stepped through the portal which was closed a few moments later. I turned around and walked through my portal, closing it behind me.


End file.
